Wife of motorcyclist killed in Highway 9 crash speaks out against impaired driving

CBC News

· Posted: May 02, 2025 8:23 PM EDT | Last Updated: 7 minutes ago

Mica Orcullo-Supena acceptable up astir a twelve chairs successful the surviving country of her North Kildonan location connected Friday afternoon, arranging them successful rows to look a makeshift altar with framed pictures of her hubby and immoderate of his favourite foods.

The 28-year-old has held a supplication vigil astatine her location each nighttime since past Saturday when her husband, 30-year-old Winston Supena, was killed successful a crash as helium rode his motorcycle conscionable northbound of Winnipeg.

The 9 days of prayers are portion of a Filipino taste signifier intended to help a person's psyche instantly aft their death, she said.

The clang happened connected Highway 9 and Mitchell Bay, successful the agrarian municipality of St. Andrews, astir 4 p.m. past Saturday, RCMP previously said. Supena's motorcycle collided with a three-ton motortruck arsenic the motortruck was trying to crook westward down Mitchell Bay, constabulary said.

Mica says constabulary told her that the 67-year-old antheral who drove the motortruck admitted to officers that he'd reversed the motortruck successful beforehand of Supena's motorcycle arsenic helium made the crook down Mitchell Bay, earlier Supena crashed into his vehicle.

Supena was pronounced dormant astatine the clang site, RCMP said.

Hours earlier the fatal crash, Mica says she'd had brunch with her hubby and their four-year-old girl successful Winnipeg, aft helium finished an aboriginal displacement astatine his occupation arsenic a health-care adjutant with the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority.

Supena near the edifice aboriginal to conscionable up with his motorcycle buddies portion his girl finished eating, she says.

"And that was the past clip we saw him."

'My beingness shattered'

Police said connected Monday the motortruck driver's licence was suspended nether The Highway Traffic Act. They judge intoxicant was a factor successful this collision, but nary charges person been laid.

RCMP accidental their investigation into the clang is ongoing.

"We're devastated. We mislaid the 1 we love, for what? A vessel of alcohol?" Mica said. "That determination changed not lone his [life], but each of our lives."

Mica, who works arsenic a massage therapist, said she was successful a league with a household subordinate erstwhile idiosyncratic messaged her to telephone 1 of her husband's motorcycle buddies, who told her that Supena had been successful an mishap and was receiving CPR from paramedics.

"I think, astatine that time, my beingness shattered," she said.

She called Supena's person again soon after, arsenic she got stuck successful postulation portion rushing to the clang tract from southbound Winnipeg, and had the friend inquire paramedics whether a chopper was coming to instrumentality her hubby to the hospital.

"A mates seconds later, you perceive thing successful his voice, and his person says … 'they're putting a achromatic cloth connected Winston,'" she said.

"I'm not stupid. I cognize what a achromatic cloth means."

She ne'er made it to the clang site, and went to her parents' location instead.

"I conscionable broke down. I deliberation I cried the remainder of the day," she said. "I inactive outcry each day, due to the fact that he's nary longer coming home. My kids nary longer person their dad."

'Using Winston's communicative arsenic the lesson'

The mates joined little than 2 years ago, aft spending a decennary together, Mica said.

She remembers him arsenic an avid motorcycle enthusiast who would "help anybody successful a heartbeat."

"That's wherefore he's a health-care aide. It's his passionateness to assistance people," she said.

Their 2 young children — a seven-year-old lad and four-year-old girl — recognize that their begetter was successful an mishap with his motorcycle, but they're excessively young to recognize that he's not coming location again.

Mica wants her husband's decease to service arsenic a reminder to drivers that they should support an oculus out for two-wheeled vehicles connected the road.

She says a vigil volition beryllium held astatine the clang tract connected Saturday, a time which comes during Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month. She hopes some events volition assistance radical retrieve Supena's legacy, which she says was filled with kindness, warmth, and a emotion for motorcycles.

"We're utilizing Winston's communicative arsenic the lesson, but helium would person wanted to beryllium capable to marque a difference, and this is however I'm going to assistance my hubby bash that, for his representation to unrecorded on," she said.

"If radical were much aware, possibly it wouldn't person happened to Winston."