Brandon's motor bike accident

Well the new year celebrations didn't really get off to a good start. It was Brandon's turn this time to be the sober driver since I was heavily pregnant this time last year. It was my turn to see the new year in in style but unfortunately it all went pear shaped.

We were at Brandon's boss' house enjoying a swim in the pool and the warm summer day. At about 5.30pm Brandon decided to jump on his boss' two wheeler dirt bike and go for a quick ride around the paddock. So off he went.....round and round the paddock. I was standing on the deck with Amber in my arms watching him. Then Brandon turns towards the house and steers to miss a pipe but all of a sudden the bike skidded out from under him and he crashed into a barb wire fence.

Paramedics working on Brandon.
The fence he crashed into is in the background.
(click on the image to see the broken palings)

He traveled about 2 meters along the barb wire fence severely cutting his leg and arm as well as burning his leg on the muffler. He also broke two fence posts. The fence was not that sturdy so he actually hit the ground on the left side of his body and bounced back up. I saw the whole thing happen.

We all rushed over to him and quickly called the ambulance. The paramedics arrived about 15 minutes later, filled him up with morphine and took him to Masterton hospital.

Leg stitched up with mattress stitches at Masterton hospital.

Once at the hospital they cleaned his wounds and got a good look at the damage. Lucky for him he did not cut the artery or muscle in his leg, but the fence had cut a 20cm laceration across his thigh. They stitched his leg up in two layers with chunky mattress on the top. They tended to the other wounds (arm and burn) but they paled in significance compared to the laceration on his thigh.

Brandon's arm wound

The burn from the muffler on Brandon's calf.






So Brandon got to spend new years in the hospital on nearly the maximum dose of morphine while I worried like mad that he had done major damage and that he might loose his leg. Fortunately it was not that bad and the morning they loaded him with pain killers and discharged him.



We have since spent every second day at the doctors getting the dressings changed. A month on now and he's healed up nicely. The stitches have been removed from his thigh and he has to wear tape across the wound for months to help the skin and tissue strengthen. His arm has also healed well.

He's now off the crutches and back at work after having a month off to recover.

Brandon's complete leg injuries

Unfortunately he will have several scars as the barb wire gave him plenty of cuts (one on top of another), but in true boy fashion he thinks its cool to have scars....at least these ones have a pretty amazing story to go with them.