A Toowoomba man who miraculously survived a horror motorcycle crash is now sharing his story in hope of saving other lives.
Zach Nightingale had his leg amputated when he came off his motorbike. He was so severely injured many of his organs were exposed and he lost litres of blood.
The crash occurred after he was hit by a car while riding the bike through Toowoomba on December 16, 2017.
The actions of two bank executives, April Cavanagh and John Debenham, who stopped to help him and the work of Lifeflight critical care paramedics gave him a fighting chance before being rushed to Toowoomba Hospital.
It was there in the Emergency Department he received a massive blood transfusion before being airlifted to Brisbane by the Lifeflight Rescue Helicopter for emergency surgery.
He then remained in hospital for 100 days and had another 16 surgeries.
(Video: The incredible story of Zach Nightingale who survived a horror motorcyle crash in 2017. Lifeflight.)
Toowoomba Hospital emergency doctor Alistair Hamilton said that the level of trauma that Zach suffered is extremely rare and it’s absolutely incredible that he’s alive today.
“And that’s testament to the amazing care he received from the time of injury and at the scene, through that pre-hospital period of care and then the hospital’s involvement in his ongoing care and treatment,”he said.
“Everyone involved should be applauded on their efforts in keeping Zach alive,” Doctor Hamilton said.
Zach Nightingale, who is now 29 is hoping his story will encourage others to learn about the importance of knowing what to do in a medical emergency before help arrives.
“I’m super grateful to my first responders,” Zach said.
“Obviously, I wouldn’t be here without their quick thinking. I’m very grateful they pulled it together all as one group,”.
“I think it’s a pretty crucial skill that everyone should know some emergency medical training. You’ve got no idea what you’ll come across in your day-to-day life. So, you might be the reason why someone actually survives if they ever suffer some type of traumatic incident,” he said.
“It could be anyone that you help. It could be a family member. It could be a partner. It could be a stranger, just like those people who dealt with me on that day. Having these skills in your toolbox are such a crucial thing to have.”
Lifeflight Toowoomba will run First Minutes Matter courses next month. For dates and other information click the following link: http://www.lifeflight.org.au/first-minutes-matter
