KITCHENER, Ont. (March 10) — Bob Breadner, president of Breadner Trailer Sales Ltd., is in intensive care at a Toronto hospital following a Feb. 27 plane crash near Muskoka, Ont.

Breadner, 44, was piloting his Beachcraft King Air 100 twin-engine turbojet when it landed about a half-kilometre short of an airport near Muskoka. The cause of the accident is under investigation.

Breadner was taken to St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, where he is in stable condition and being treated for broken legs, broken ribs, and a minor skull fracture.

His son Bobby, 13, was a passenger in the plane and was taken to the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, where he was treated for a broken ankle and a knee injury. Bobby was expected to be released this week.

Breadner’s executive assistant Barbara Chapman said doctors are optimistic about Breadner’s condition and expect him to make a “strong recovery.”

She said he cannot receive visitors due to the threat of infection. “Bob is alert and progressing well,” she said. “Fortunately, we have a good team here to manage the business while Bob is away, and I’m sure he is anxious to get back to business as soon as he is able.”

Breadner’s Kitchener-based company has grown from a simple trailer dealership to encompass sales, rentals, financing, leasing, parts, and after-sales service at branch locations across Canada.

In 1996, Breadner was named Ontario’s Entrepreneur of the Year, in a program sponsored nationally by Ernst & Young, Canadian Business magazine, and several other companies. In 1998, Breadner Trailer Sales was named one of Canada’s 50 best privately managed companies by Arthur Anderson, CIBC, National Post, and LeGroupe Mallette Maheu.

Chapman said Breadner has been buoyed by customers calling with get-well wishes and support. She said that cards can be sent to Breadner Trailer Sales Ltd., 10 Forwell Road, Kitchener, ON N2B 3E7.

In lieu of flowers, donations are being accepted to a trust account that will be divided between St. Michael’s Hospital and the Hospital for Sick Children. The Robert Sr. and Robert Jr. Trust Account (#3153922) is located at the Toronto Dominion Bank, c/o Michael Dye, P.O. Box 520, 381 King & Francis St., Kitchener, ON N2G 1B8.