Diary Chapter 3

When I was in bed I felt my injuries. I must have looked like Gumby with stitches. When I raised my arms and hands, both of them were covered in sores and scabs. My right hand was by far the worst. It was discoloured, scabbed, and looked pretty swollen. It was around four or five times its normal size. It also looked very bruised. My ring was missing and it has never turn up. My right hand and arm was also very much darker than my left hand and arm.

I have big seatbelt burns across the right thigh. There are at least three of them. I also have seatbelt burns across my neck and chest.

I felt my neck and was shocked to be told I had broken it and must wear the brace for six weeks! In my head we would be okay to continue our holiday in a week or two! (I think I told Nina this too!!)

Up around my my hairline I could feel my head had been shaved and I had several stitches. There were cuts right across the front of my skull, going about one third or so, right across to the back of my ear. I had bits of desert bush/shrub, full of the needles, in my hair. I was amazed.

My earrings were gone, one of each pair of the gold ones. There was a swollen ridge on the right side of my face that went down past my ear. I was fascinated by how big the ridge of scar tissue or swelling was, and ran my finger down it every day. This was to measure my recovery. In my mind, once it had gone, I would be fine again.

Sandy's face was full of contusions (sores?). There was one on each of his eyes and several across his skull. He was really swollen and red around the head. Even when he couldn't talk, he put his arm out to touch Nina. He cracked jokes non-stop and always took off his neck brace if he could. One night, I heard him get out of bed and crash onto the floor. His head seemed to crack. I heard the Nurses ask why, and he said he had forgotten his neck was broken. He had just got out of bed as usual, then his break had landed him on the floor.

Sandy always tried to go to the toilet unaccompanied, and he accused the hospital staff of hiding weekends (3 thus far) and conspiring against him in some way. He often winked at me, as if there was a joke we shared. He meant to say that we weren't really sick, but the staff thought we were. All I could really do was cope with myself during this time and argue a bit with Sandy's logic.

The first real person I remember seeing over my bed was Mum. I think she has been there all my life. She was kissing me and telling me things that didn't make much sense. I think Rob was beside me on my unscarred side and telling me that I was lucky to be alive. They both said my scarring would be hidden by my hair. (I think they were lying then, but more of this later).

At some stage, to my utter amazement, Dad, Joanne, Stef, Chris, Saara, and Joanne and her 3 girls were there too! They had flown over from Melbourne and Brisbane. Nina was also there, but she was busy watching a movie in the waiting room, so she didn't see me then. I could not believe it, everyone was in Adelaide, wow we must be really sick! We were also really loved, and you can't get any better than that in life, I reckon.

Mum explained that Nina had helped the Ambulance Officers. The driver of the car we trailled (from Ballarat) had seen us turn over. He called Nina out through the back of the Ute. He showed her how to use the roof rack structure as a tunnel out, since the car was flattened. We had ended up turned upside down.

Once she climbed out, they heard me moan and cut me out. Truck and other car drivers then arrived and couldn't contact the ambulance by mobile phone or by CB radio. Drivers went to the next town to ring for an ambulance to tend us. Nina told everyone our names and addresses, the next of kin and allergy information. She helped them help us.

Nina had then returned to Whyalla hospital at some point, and after assisting them our prognosis was delivered to her. She accepted her own treatment. She also rang Mum in Melbourne. Apparently, she spoke for about an hour to Mum about the accident. She started off by saying she was okay, and so we. She spoke so much that my Dad laughed.

Mum said her mind kind of divided into two. Her maternal parts were shut off, while she thought about what she had to do. She contacted both Saara and Chris, though Chris took two phone calls. Saara, poor baby, thought she had lost us and had to hang up. When she phoned back, she got given the full story, thank heavens. Mum also told Jo and Stef. She organised her's and Dad's flight to Adelaide. She had told Nina, not to worry, that she'd be there. I don't know how Mum found the strength to tell so many people. It must have been among the most difficult things she has ever done. To me, she was soothing and loving through all.

She then described my injuries to me, from the scabs on my hands to tactful descriptions of the swelling around my head and neck. Apparently, my ear had almost disappeared, and I had nearly lost my neck and skull pretty completely. My earrings were gone.

She told me that it was okay to sleep, but I wanted to prove I was okay for some reason. They told me later, I spoke through gritted teeth and seemed to look at nothing, though I always saw them. Robbie comforted me again by pointing out that all my scarring was hidden by my hair.

Stef presented himself at some stage and said we were not to worry, that he would take care of all financial staff, including the Victorian and South Australian TAC commissions and insurance.

They described how the accident had been reported as an Act of God by the police, which was nice.

Over the next few days, everyone spent time with us. It was lovely. Saara did my nails. Jo spoke very lovingly to us. It was she who had to tell Sandy his Mum had died a few years ago when he wondered why she wasn't there. Poor Jo. In the meantime, she cared for the three girls. Chris tried to pop in and be as helpful and cheerful as he could. He always came when no one else did. He thought that a his lack of presence meant we didn't know that he loved us, but we did. And he and Stef did the returned to the accident scene and the police to get our stuff. Nina hugged Sandy heaps and reassured me a great deal.

The week was a blur of medication and people. Damien turned up at some stage too. Sandy was bad and everyone was great.