Victorian road crash survivor’s message to other young drivers

It was 2.30am when Paige crawled to the Hamilton Highway roadside after her car rolled about six or seven times into a nearby paddock. The 22-year-old wondered if the next truck would stop to assist and call her an ambulance one December night in 2019.

The truck refused to stop, tooting its horn as it rushed by. Devastated and exhausted, she crawled off the road slightly.

“I thought did they not see me? Adrenaline kicked in and I said to myself I have to live,” she said.

“When I first woke up in the paddock, I had wet grass and dirt all through my hair. It was fight or flight for me at that time. I couldn’t find my phone to call for help. I looked up and 100m away I saw a car drive past, so I crawled to a fence. I put my foot in the fence and flipped myself over it to get to the road.”

It was after 6am when a woman travelling from Warrnambool to Ballarat in a taxi, saw Paige lying roadside and screamed to the driver to stop and pull over.

“The woman helped me into the car. I wasn’t aware of how bad my accident had been. I was 3km from home, but my house keys were on my car keys. When the ambulance arrived they said I shouldn’t be standing. She heard me give my details to the ambulance and found my Dad on Facebook and messaged him letting my family know I was in severe pain and on the way to Ballarat Base Hospital and needed them,” she said.

“When I woke up in hospital, Dad was right beside me, so I wasn’t alone. The nights were the hardest. I had a few panic attacks. I didn’t have my phone and didn’t have anyone’s numbers. It was so isolating. The police said I had fallen asleep behind the wheel and my hand had hooked through the wheel and pushed the car off the road.”

Paige had suffered a fracture to her upper back, a broken left arm, shoulder and pelvis. She knew she needed help from a lawyer and contacted Slater and Gordon Senior Associate Sarah Elseidy when she realised she couldn’t work.

“It took three to four days to get back up and walking. It was very difficult to walk but I got there. I tried to go back to work as a bartender but lifting slabs of alcohol made my body feel worse and I wasn’t healing,” Paige said.

“I was very surprised that I was entitled to compensation. I thought because no one else was involved and it was a single vehicle accident that I couldn’t get help or financial support. In Victoria, the Transport Accident Commission is a no-fault scheme, meaning that if you have a single vehicle accident and even if you were in the wrong or at fault, you are still able to apply for compensation to assist with medical expenses and with your recovery.”

Doctors told Paige it was a miracle she avoided internal injuries considering how many times the car rolled.

“I’m forever grateful that I’m living and breathing today because things could’ve gone in totally the opposite direction. I thank my lucky stars that I’m here today to tell my story and warn other young drivers. You may think it won’t be you that ends up injured in an accident but what happens when it is you? Will you survive or will you not be so lucky?” she said.

“Be careful and alert while driving at night. There aren’t as many taxis and Ubers operating in regional areas. Often when you need a taxi late at night it won’t be there for 90 minutes, and you think what is the point of phoning one? We need more taxis and public transport options in regional areas.”

Paige had a metal plate and 10 bolts inserted into her shoulder which she will need to have removed in another surgery shortly. Working in her Aunt’s take away shop, she hopes to enroll in a photography course and take photos for a living. While she looks to move on from the accident, Paige has a message for other young drivers.

“Think twice about getting behind the wheel late at night especially if you are tired and look out for your friends,” she said.

Ms Elseidy who is representing Paige in a road injury claim, said that single vehicle accidents were all too common in regional and rural areas where drivers needed to travel longer distances.

“If you have been injured in a crash, it is still worth talking to a lawyer about your legal rights whatever your circumstances are,” she said.

“It's important that everyone injured on Australian roads seeks legal advice about their entitlements because they can at the very least get their medical expenses covered under the insurance schemes operating in each state and territory.”