The small town of Timberlake, Nova Scotia, has seen its share of medical emergencies, accidents, and life-threatening situations. Sullivan’s Crossing has kept viewers on edge with multiple characters facing deadly circumstances. From diner fires to brain tumors, the show has put its beloved residents through serious health scares.
The Canadian drama, which streams on Netflix in the US and airs on The CW, follows Maggie Sullivan (Morgan Kohan), a former neurosurgeon who returns to her hometown. She reconnects with her father Harry “Sully” Sullivan (Scott Patterson) and finds love with California “Cal” Jones (Chad Michael Murray). Along the way, several characters have come close to death.
Sully Sullivan Survived a Heart Attack and a Diner Explosion
Sully has faced death twice in the series. The Season 1 finale ended with him suffering a heart attack. He was revisiting the traumatic memory of hitting Lola Gunderson (Amalia Williamson) with his car years ago. The stress triggered the heart attack, leaving fans worried about his future.
Season 2 confirmed he survived. Doctors initially thought he might have Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s, similar to his father. The actual diagnosis turned out to be Wernicke’s Encephalopathy, a condition caused by severe Vitamin B1 deficiency. He got treatment and recovered.
The second near-death moment came in the Season 2 finale. A fire broke out at Rob Shandon’s (Reid Price) diner. Sully and Cal ran inside to save Rob’s son Finn (Zayn Maloney). Cal got out with Finn, but Sully did not come out. The diner exploded with him still inside. The episode ended without showing his fate.
Season 3, Episode 1 revealed that Sully walked away without a scratch. The show never explained how he escaped the explosion. His life continued as if nothing happened. He never discussed the incident or showed any lasting injuries.
Sully also faced a serious health scare in Season 1 when doctors suspected early-onset Alzheimer’s. That diagnosis turned out to be incorrect, but it added to the tension surrounding his character.
Maggie Sullivan Lost Her Baby Due to the Diner Fire Stress
Maggie experienced a tragic off-screen death in Season 3. She was pregnant with her ex-boyfriend Andrew Mathews’ (Allan Hawco) baby. At the time of the diner fire, she was dating Cal. The stress of watching her father trapped in the burning building caused her to collapse.
The Season 3 premiere confirmed the worst. Maggie suffered a miscarriage. The show treated this as a heartbreaking moment, but some fans felt the writers used it as a convenient way to remove a complicated storyline. Maggie barely spoke about the loss after the first few episodes.
The pregnancy had created a tricky situation. Andrew wanted to be involved in raising the child. Cal had admitted he did not want biological children because of his family history of schizophrenia. However, Cal was willing to raise Andrew’s baby. The miscarriage removed this obstacle from Maggie and Cal’s relationship.
Edna Cranebear Underwent Risky Brain Tumor Surgery
Edna Cranebear (Andrea Menard) faced a serious medical crisis in Season 3. She experienced headaches, hot sweats, and dizzy spells throughout the season. A doctor dismissed these symptoms as menopause. The situation became critical when she suddenly lost her vision while hosting a dinner party.
Tests revealed she had a non-cancerous brain tumor. The growth was pressing on her optic nerve and affecting her carotid artery. Maggie, a trained neurosurgeon, was devastated by the news. She urged Edna to have surgery immediately.
Edna initially refused the operation. She changed her mind under one condition: Maggie had to perform the surgery herself. This put Maggie in a difficult position. She had not practiced medicine in Canada because she was not licensed in Nova Scotia. The surgery was risky, with potential complications including a stroke.
The operation was a success. Maggie removed the entire tumor, and Edna woke up with her vision restored. The show did not explore her recovery in detail. Critics noted that Edna will likely return to working at the Outpost in Season 4 as if nothing traumatic happened.
Cal Jones Confronted His Father’s Terminal Cancer
Cal did not face his own death, but he dealt with his father Jed Jones (John Ralston) receiving a terminal diagnosis. Jed had prostate cancer that spread to his pancreas. Doctors gave him limited time to live.
Jed decided against treatment. He wanted to enjoy his final moments on his own terms. Cal and Jed had a strained relationship because Jed had schizophrenia and was mentally abusive during Cal’s childhood. The diagnosis pushed them to reconcile.
Jed remained alive throughout Season 3. He appeared in Episode 9 via a phone call, saying he was enjoying the Grand Canyon with his wife Marissa (Torri Higginson). His death has not been shown on screen.
Finn Shandon Got Trapped Inside the Burning Diner
Finn, the young son of Rob Shandon, came close to dying in the Season 2 finale fire. He was inside the diner when the flames started. Cal and Sully rushed in to rescue him.
Cal carried Finn out safely just before the explosion. Medics treated Finn for minor injuries, and he survived without lasting harm. However, Finn disappeared from the show in Season 3. Rob mentioned him being at camp or with his grandmother, but the character was not seen on screen.
Fans found this odd because Finn was central to Rob’s story in the first two seasons. Rob was portrayed as an overwhelmed widowed father trying to balance work and parenting. Sending Finn away for the summer seemed out of character.
Jackson Needed Emergency Surgery After a Hiking Fall
Jackson, the son of firefighters Connie and Tom, faced death in Season 1, Episode 9. He slipped and fell during a hike with his romantic interest Kaleb. The injury was severe, requiring immediate medical intervention.
Maggie performed an emergency procedure. She drilled three burr holes into Jackson’s skull to relieve pressure on his brain. Doctors later commended her quick action, saying Jackson would have died without her help.
The incident happened while Maggie was not licensed to practice medicine in Canada. This added legal complications to her already troubled situation following the malpractice lawsuit in Boston.
Lola Gunderson and Jacob Cranebear Got Trapped in a Collapsed Mine
Lola and Jacob Cranebear (Joel Oulette) faced death together in Season 3. The pair went on a date to an old mine. A wall collapsed, trapping them inside with no way to communicate with the outside world.
Their phones were broken in the collapse. The Timberlake community searched for them for hours. Maggie and Cal eventually found the pair and rescued them. Both survived without serious injuries.
This near-death experience brought Lola and Jacob closer together. They decided to try a long-distance relationship when Jacob had to return to Alberta to finish his master’s program.
Lola’s Mother Died in a Hit-and-Run Accident
Lola’s mother died off-screen before the events of the series. The accident happened years ago when Maggie was a child. Sully was chasing after Maggie and her mother Phoebe (Lynda Boyd) as they left The Crossing. He hit Lola’s mother while she was riding her bicycle, killing her.
Sully lived with guilt for decades. He became a father figure to Lola, taking her and her mother in when her mom was dying of cancer. Lola did not know Sully was responsible for the accident.
Sully finally confessed the truth in Season 2. Lola cut ties with him. However, when she returned to the accident scene, she remembered that it was not Sully’s car that hit her. Someone else was responsible. Sully was freed from guilt, but the real culprit has never been found.
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Maggie Sullivan’s Patient Kevin Markiff Died Off-Screen
Kevin Markiff, one of Maggie’s patients in Boston, died before the series began. His death was the reason Maggie faced a malpractice lawsuit. The lawsuit tarnished her reputation and forced her to leave Boston.
Maggie apologized to Kevin’s mother during the trial in the Season 1 finale. The apology was impactful enough that the charges against her were dropped. This allowed her to start fresh in Timberlake.
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