Stab victim's desperation saved life

Timaru man Aaron Mehlhopt felt "pretty stupid" as he lay in a hospital bed in Canada recovering from a near-fatal stabbing.

But it was only his own desperate efforts to get help that saved his life.

Mr Mehlhopt, 27, on his OE in Canada, had gone to a New Year's party in the city of Regina with a workmate when a dispute at the house suddenly spilled over.

His workmate, John Randolph Cadreau, 38, was stabbed to death by an man unknown to them. Mr Mehlhopt was stabbed seven times, puncturing both lungs.

Mr Mehlhopt, known to friends as Clow, said he did not know the person who attacked him or what caused it to happen.

Bleeding heavily, he managed to limp to a nearby convenience store and call for help. Meanwhile, the attacker fled in Mr Mehlhopt's vehicle.

Mr Mehlhopt was taken to Regina General Hospital in a critical condition, and family and friends in New Zealand feared he would die.

However, he slowly recovered with the help of tubes feeding him oxygen, and has now been released from hospital.

Regina police have opened a homicide investigation after Mr Cadreau's death.

Mr Mehlhopt's parents, Val and Murray Mehlhopt, left Timaru, on Wednesday for Regina and hoped to bring their son home when he recovered sufficiently.

"He was in the wrong place at the wrong time," his father said.

"It was his first trip overseas and he was thinking about staying another six months, but that has changed now."

He said his son, who left Timaru last March with a friend, had been working for an insulation company in Regina and playing rugby for a local team, the Condors.