As one man remains behind bars, accused in connection with a stabbing at Waterloo Park, the victim of the attack is speaking out about what he says happened that day – and what he wishes he’d done differently.
The stabbing occurred Jan. 24, in a secluded area of the park near the tennis courts.
The victim of the stabbing, who asked CTV News not to use his name, is a fourth-year student at Wilfrid Laurier University.
He says he and his alleged attacker -- who he says he has known since his first year at Laurier -- were near a cluster of trees when he was unexpectedly slashed with a knife.
He says he called 911 for help, and “hobbled” over to a nearby path to make himself easier to find – all without feeling any pain.
“Everyone thinks that when you get shot or stabbed or blown up, it hurts a lot right at the moment,” he said Friday.
“That’s not the case. You start losing so much blood, you get lightheaded. You just do whatever you can to stop the bleeding.”
Emergency crews found him, and loaded him into an ambulance.
He says he remembers being talkative in the ambulance, and realizing that the sirens were on – which, he says, helped him realize the seriousness of his injury.
Nearly three weeks after the altercation, he has been released from hospital, but still bears a scar across his neck.
The man says that he saw signs of increasing paranoia in his alleged assailant prior to the attack, and wants others to know that if anyone starts acting “weird,” it could be a sign of something more serious.
Ryan Aspinall, 21, is charged with attempted murder in connection with the attack.
He remains in custody.
His lawyer says that Aspinall has a severe, undiagnosed mental illness, and is in the midst of a 30-day psychiatric evaluation.
