I nearly died 5 days ago...

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JSE81
JSE81 Posts: 114 Member
in Chit-Chat
Hi all I was travelling in a very remote area of Australia for work and have had a massive single vehicle accident. My car, a 2014 Toyota Prado has left the road at about 120km/h and rolled about 6 times. I wasnt driving, I was in the front passenger seat.

When I regained consciousness I was upside down hanging by my seatbelt and something I will never forget is the crying and screaming of 2 of my friends and coworkers who were in a tangled mess on the roof and the engine still running with steam and smoke entering the cabin.

Thankfully the engine has run itself out of fuel as the car was upside down and one of the girls has been able to unbuckle my seatbelt and get me out of my chair. I've climbed out of the car and helped pull them out of the wreck. As I leaned against the car I started to lose my vision.

A minor miracle, one of the girls has flagged down a car about 10 minutes after we crashed which turns out to be another co worker.

They've carried me over to their car and as I've been resting against it I have passed out again. I woke up lying in the grass on my side with one of them clearing my airway.

We were 166km north of the closest town with no mobile/cell phone signal. We have been put into the back of the other car and driven to the nearest town. We picked up phone signal about 100km from town as we went past a mine and have called ahead for an ambulance. We've met the ambulance about 40km's out of town and received treatment on the side of the road.

We were barely lucky to survive the accident let alone walk away from it. I've received massive lacerations to my right leg where it has gone through the windscreen. I had 70 stitches, 15 local anesthetics and about 3 hours of surgery to fix up my leg, concussion and lots of cuts and bruises.

One of the girls was air lifted to another hospital with suspected spinal injuries but was cleared and released from hospital the following day and the other girl had a bit of glass in her eyes, some minor cuts and bruises and a sore hip.

I know it's cliche but I had that moment where you evaluate your life and decide to make some changes.

The car is a write off. It saved our lives. It crumpled where it should have and the airbags went off when they should have.

I was the worst injured and I am making a speedy recovery, I should be back at work by Thursday.

Thanks for reading all. Here are some photo's of the accident and my injuries. :smiley:

http://s1368.photobucket.com/user/jsme81/library/Car crash October 2014?sort=3&page=1
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Replies

  • OnceBitt2xshy34
    OnceBitt2xshy34 Posts: 797
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    Wish the you the speediest of recoveries :)
  • JSE81
    JSE81 Posts: 114 Member
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    Thanks guys.
  • Mahsaa18
    Mahsaa18 Posts: 57 Member
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    damn, wish you all the best
  • nmcrosier
    nmcrosier Posts: 268 Member
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    Ouch! I wish you well in your recovery. Listen to your body, get it what it needs. It's been 12 years since mine. I was side swiped and sent into a concrete barricade. When I went to the ER the nurse said I was the most stoic patient she ever had with a foot dangling by a bit of skin...umm that was shock honey. ;) Anyways, thankfully for you and your coworkers all seems ok. Best wishes to each of you.
  • OnceBitt2xshy34
    OnceBitt2xshy34 Posts: 797
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    You are welcome :D
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 17,959 Member
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    Whoa!! I'm very glad you're ok - my brother works out in remote Australia and I know he's been super concerned at times about the lack of coverage if there is an emergency.

    Take care and recover well, man!
  • winf
    winf Posts: 764 Member
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    Stuff that makes you think about life for sure. Speedy recovery!
  • libbydoodle11
    libbydoodle11 Posts: 1,351 Member
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    Oh my goodness, I am glad to hear all of you are in recovery and going to be okay.
  • FabulousFantasticFifty
    FabulousFantasticFifty Posts: 195,832 Member
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    Thank God that you are here to share your story! I have gone through a few incidents where I shouldn't have survived one being abducted, held hostage and shot, two rolling a Jeep off a mountain and three being run almost head on then off the road by a drunk driver. I feel that we are meant do do something great in this world when we are fortunate enough to make it through these things. :) I try to live everyday remembering this and I have much confidence that I will one day definitely know why I am still here. God Bless and Speedy healing!!! You are definitely meant for greatness, never forget that! :D
  • nmcrosier
    nmcrosier Posts: 268 Member
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    ^^ Amen!
  • Misshodge64
    Misshodge64 Posts: 8,588 Member
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    WOW
  • Edie30
    Edie30 Posts: 216
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    *kitten* us Aussies have to be a bit tough huh!!! Wishing you a speedy recovery
  • phyllb
    phyllb Posts: 735 Member
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    God bless ur spirit
    Was hit by a bus many years ago. Still have pain and issues but grateful to be alive and lovin life. Enjoy
  • JSE81
    JSE81 Posts: 114 Member
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    nladopoulos wrote: »
    Ouch! I wish you well in your recovery. Listen to your body, get it what it needs. It's been 12 years since mine. I was side swiped and sent into a concrete barricade. When I went to the ER the nurse said I was the most stoic patient she ever had with a foot dangling by a bit of skin...umm that was shock honey. ;) Anyways, thankfully for you and your coworkers all seems ok. Best wishes to each of you.

    Thanks. As the more painful injuries heal I realize I'm actually suffering some long term lower back knee and shoulder pain. I'll go up to the hospital tomorrow and get them looked at and have new dressing put on my cuts and lacerations.

    Your injuries sound horrific. How's the foot these days?
  • raysputin
    raysputin Posts: 142 Member
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    Unless you were in NT, 120KPH is over the speed limit. Doing 120KPH in a 4WD is asking for trouble anyway - they are unstable at speed as the six rollovers attests. I can't see a bitumen surface in the photos which makes the 120KPH even more ill-advised.

    With luck, your pains are just minor and will go away by themselves but you must get them checked out to prevent possible troubles later in life.

    I hope you choose your drivers more wisely in the future.
  • PurringMyrrh
    PurringMyrrh Posts: 5,276 Member
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    Those lacerations are brutal! Awesomely meaty.
  • KANGOOJUMPS
    KANGOOJUMPS Posts: 6,473 Member
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    your lucky to be alive....
  • mockchoc
    mockchoc Posts: 6,573 Member
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    So glad you are ok and being looked after well. It was a pleasure to walk with you and hope we can again one day. {hugs}
  • tiptoethruthetulips
    tiptoethruthetulips Posts: 3,365 Member
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    Certainly wasn't your time to go :) Those photos should come with a graphic warning I think.

    Best of luck with your recovery.

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