Young tradie’s warning to drivers after surviving horror Cape Paterson crash

At 20, Kane Valentine has survived more than 20 surgeries and lives with a ceramic glass eye and a metal plate in his head following a major road crash last year which left him with severe injuries.

The apprentice tradie was seated behind the driver who was speeding when he lost control of the car after overtaking another vehicle on Cape Paterson Road about 11.45am on Friday 15 April.

“He had to swerve and lost control of the car. It spun around multiple times and hit an embankment. It skidded and the front of the car dug into the road and spun. Doctors said I was lucky to be alive. They told my parents I was going to die about five times,” he said.

“It was hard for my family to see me so injured at the scene. My brother Kyle was in the car and had to get me out of the car. My sister came up to me thinking it was the last time she would see me. They said their goodbyes in the helicopter. Mum was waiting for me to wake up, thinking ‘He’s had a massive injury. What kind of quality of life will I have left?’”

Kane was in a coma for two weeks. After more than 80 hours’ worth of surgery, Kane still has more face and arm surgeries ahead. Every year, he will require a new ceramic eye to be made as he grows.

“My head and arm were scraped along the ground when the car was spinning on its roof. It was like getting a piece of chalk and dragging it. From my elbow down, I only have a third of the bones left. My arm is completely destroyed. I can only lift a few kilos. I’m worried it will dislocate and pull out as it’s only held in place by my tricep,” he said.

Kane’s main message to other young drivers is to “drive safely or not at all”.

”You’re not invincible and injuries can and do happen If you are speeding behind the wheel, you could hurt not just yourself, you could hurt someone else. Even when you first get your Ps, anything can happen. You’re better off driving safe or not at all. I have missed out on so much of my life with friends. They will be qualified chippie’s soon. I’m going to have to go back to work as a first year apprentice. I may not even be able to work depending on how my arm goes. I missed out on so many social events. I was gone for so long. These last 18 months, I was either in a hospital bed, or doing rehab or at home,” Kane said.

“Mum was stressed and worried. The driver wasn’t injured. He was still living his life while I was trying to learn how to eat and talk again. If I can reach just one person and change the course of their life by warning other young people to drive safely, that would make me happy.”

Slater and Gordon Practice Leader Joanne Burns, who has lodged a personal injury claim against the driver’s insurer through the Transport and Accident Commission (TAC) scheme in Victoria, said a common misconception when making a road injury claim, was that an injured person was going after the driver’s financial assets.

“It’s actually a common reason that many people don’t look into their legal rights or lodge a claim with TAC because they’re concerned they’ll be suing a friend or family member that was driving. We all pay our Compulsory Third Party (CTP) insurance in the event there is an accident so the TAC can cover medical costs and loss of wages. The claim is lodged against the TAC insurer so it is not the individual driver who pays,” Ms Burns said.

“An injury may have long lasting impacts and your ability to work in the future. You may require future surgery and treatment so it’s important to see a lawyer who will help you navigate the system, ensure that you are medically assessed and undergo rehabilitation to protect your legal rights and maximise your compensation.

“Kane’s injuries have changed the course of his life and potentially his ability to work in his chosen area of work as a tradie. Kane has a long road ahead of him and still requires further surgeries.”