A Melbourne father left fighting for survival after a near-fatal motorbike crash says he owes his life to the Ambulance Victoria (AV) paramedics who came to his aid.
David Francis, 55, has been left with life-altering injuries and chronic pain after a car merged into him on the Princes Highway in Beaconsfield in 2022.
The crash sent David head-first into the guardrail, his motorbike sliding 100 metres down the road.
David received critical, life-saving care from a team of AV paramedics, including a specialist air ambulance helicopter, mobile intensive care ambulance (MICA) and advanced life support (ALS) crews.
"When we first arrived, David was alert but he quickly began to deteriorate, with his blood pressure, oxygen levels and conscious state dropping, and his heart rate increasing," ALS paramedic Amy Grimshaw said.
"By the time the air ambulance arrived, he was almost unconscious."
MICA flight paramedics performed an ultrasound to check for fluid in David's lungs and multiple thoracostomies (incisions in the chest wall) to drain that fluid. A decision was made to intubate him - a hospital level procedure using medication to make David unconscious so MICA flight paramedics could manage his airway.
David was flown to The Alfred in a critical condition and that's where he remembers waking up a couple of weeks later with a long list of injuries that would change his life forever.
"I punctured both lungs, broke all my ribs, nearly every bone in my face, both collarbones, dislocated and fractured my shoulder, broke my scapula and back, and severed my spinal cord. In total, I broke about 95 bones," David said.
"I basically went from a 52-year-old man to a four-year-old child - I had to learn everything all over again."
David had 17 surgeries, spent around four months in The Alfred and another year in a rehabilitation hospital. Six months after that, he had a stroke - his blood pressure unstable after the collision. He survived, but it meant more time in hospital and more time in rehab.
The collision has left David in a wheelchair permanently with chronic pain. He hopes his story serves as a reminder of the impact of not taking care on the road.
"I don't think people have enough patience on the roads - we should be kinder to each other and think of the other person," he said.
"I was lucky to survive, but it's changed my life. My accident hasn't just affected me, it's affected everybody else around me as well.
"I can't say a big enough thank you to all the paramedics because they saved my life."
David reunited with some of the paramedics who cared for him and Amy said it was special to be given the opportunity.
"I've been with AV for six years and I've never had the pleasure of meeting a patient after the incident," she said.
"This collision was a big case for me. It was my first one where the air ambulance attended so I remember it really well.
"It's rewarding to see David again and it's a reminder that we make a difference - knowing that something we did that day contributed to keeping him alive."
