AUGUST 1983 HITCHIKER SERIOUSLY INJURIED
I was picked up by (Benito) the driver of a Datsun King cab and involved in a serious car accident 2klm further down the road. I was eighteen years old. A VW sedan pulled out on our left on Grange Ave Marsden Park NSW. Our car clipped the VW and swerved to the wrong side of the road into the path of an oncoming vehicle. To avoid a head of collision the driver of the oncoming vehicle was forced of the road and into a ditch. After colliding with the VW and averting the head-on collision Benito lost control of the Datsun.
The Datsun rolled onto its side and slide into a telegraph pole. I received serious injuries: fractured skull, brain hemorrhage, dislocated left shoulder, served left thumb tendon, ruptured spleen, ruptured right diaphragm, punched right lung, fractured pelvis, fractured left femur and degloving injury left calf.
Fortunately a passing doctor was able to give assistance by putting the tube from his stethoscope down my throat to keep me breathing as I was drowning on my blood from the punched lung. The doctor had got a local farmer to call for an intensive care ambulance but a normal ambulance arrived. The intensive ambulance arrived some forty minutes after the accident. I was transported to Blacktown hospital that did not have the doctors or facilities to operate on me. I was stabilized and transported to Westmead Hospital were a number of doctors operated on me to remove my spleen, repair right diaphragm, repair left thumb tendon and attend to the many other injuries.
I was in a coma for 2 weeks and in intensive care for 18 days I was out of hospital in exactly six weeks. I was young and healthy and healed quickly. Fortunately I am here today to tell the story and special thanks to Dr Rigsmith without him being there my chances of survival would have been 0. The blood that I was transfused with was going through me as quick as they were putting it into me. Even after the operations I was constantly bleeding. Benito the driver of the Datsun received minor injuries. I took the whole impact of the telegraph pole. Some how I was out of the Datsun and laying on the ground. My seat belt was still done up.
One week exactly out of hospital I was involved in another accident I recieved head, facial and leg injuries.
I HAVE ACTUALLY SEEN THE STARS A NUMBER OF TIMES IN MY LIFE
Here I am today still kicking September 2007 it looks like I was hit hard & still suffering.
I AM NOT REAL SMART BUT I CAN LIFT HEAVY THINGS
THE MEMORYS AND SCARS ARE THERE FOR A LIFE TIME
FUN & LOVE ARE WITH ME FOREVER
I ALWAYS REMEMBER THIS SHORT SAYING
"I use to complain when I had no shoes till I seen a man with no feet."
I am a fortunate to be alive & fortunate to recover so well.
Thanks Dr Riggsmith and everyone else. Better of a live dog than a dead lion.
THE OPERATIONS I HAVE HAD
Repair left thumb tendon twice
Insert K-Nail Left hip/femur
Remove K-Nail left hip/femur
Remove Myositis ossificans Left hip/femur
Remove Stitch below belly button
Remove scare tissue and repair hernia
Varicose seal
Skin graft left calf
2 traction pins
Remove glass right arm
Two Nose Jobs
Splenectomy
others coming and some forgot