Bendigo mum back on her bike, six years after horror crash

April 22, 2024 | in News

AV6K成人网 (AV) paramedics said it was incredible to see Astrid Zegers alive and well, after the Bendigo mother-of-two suffered life-threatening and life-altering injuries in a major motorbike collision six years ago.听

It was the day after Mother鈥檚 Day in 2018 and Astrid, then 40, was planning to build a chicken coop with her teenage kids.

Astrid standing together with the four paramedics and a senior police constable who were at the scene of the accident on that fateful day.

(L-R) Paramedics Wayne Nicol and Kayla Watson, Retired Leading Senior Constable Peter Bullock, Astrid Zegers, and paramedics Fran Nadin and Andrew Jochs.

Before they began, she was heading into town for an hour to help a friend who was moving house.听

But she only made it to the end of the street.听

鈥淚 remember telling the kids what to do in the morning and I remember putting my motorbike jacket on,鈥� Astrid said.听

鈥淚 remember riding to the gate, but I don鈥檛 remember any more of the ride or the accident.鈥�听

Astrid was hit and crushed by a minivan, breaking her neck, breaking every rib except one, needing her spine to be fused back together and suffering severe swelling in her brain, amongst other injuries.

The wreckage of the motorbike Astrid was riding on with the debris scattered all over the road and under the minivan.

The accident scene. Astrid and her motorbike were hit and crushed by the minivan.

Paramedic Fran Nadin, who was a graduate paramedic at the time, was in the first ambulance to arrive.听

鈥淚t was a confronting scene,鈥� Fran said.听

鈥淎strid was in traumatic cardiac arrest so she had no pulse and wasn鈥檛 breathing on her own, and she was still trapped underneath the back of the minivan.听

鈥淪he was badly injured and we all thought she was going to have to fight very, very hard to make it through.鈥�

Astrid's worried mother standing beside Astrid while she is resting on the hospital bed. Astrid is surrounded with hospital equipment and support tubes aiding her with her recovery.

Astrid in hospital after several hours-long procedures to save her life. Her mother is by her bedside.

Fran and partner Kayla Watson had requested to respond to the case, using local knowledge to drive to the scene quickly.听

鈥淲e arrived a couple of minutes earlier than the next ambulance and in cardiac arrests, seconds and minutes really matter and can change the outcome for someone,鈥� Fran explained.听

鈥淚t highlights the importance of saving ambulances for emergencies 鈥� we were available to immediately head to this case.鈥�听

The paramedics pulled Astrid from under the vehicle and managed to improve her condition enough for her to be transported to hospital.

Astrid lying on a hospital bed and in a coma.

Astrid in hospital.

She was airlifted to the Royal Melbourne Hospital in a critical condition and spent four weeks in a coma.听

鈥淲aking up, I鈥檇 lost a lot of time and was like 鈥榳here am I, what鈥檚 happening鈥� and then you have the awakening and it鈥檚 like 鈥榦h god鈥�,鈥� Astrid said.听

鈥淚 was basically getting told I was brain damaged and that I had to go for an assessment to find out if I鈥檇 be able to look after myself again.鈥�听

Six years later, Astrid has continued to defy expectations and is able to walk again, be back in the community and even get back on her motorbike.听

鈥淯nrelated to the accident, I have an autoimmune condition and I used to be an everyday motorbike rider as part of my physio,鈥� Astrid said.听

鈥淢y bike鈥檚 saved me in a way from so many things and in November last year, for the first time in six years, I got back on.听

鈥淚鈥檓 going to rebuild my bike 鈥� to me, that鈥檚 empowering.听

鈥淏eing back on it was just like being at home.鈥�

Astrid hugging paramedic Fran Nadin tightly in front of an ambulance.

Astrid reunites with paramedic Fran Nadin.

Astrid was able to reunite with the paramedics who saved her life, to thank them for what they did.听

For Fran, it was an opportunity for closure from an extremely traumatic day at work.听

鈥淭his case is something that I don鈥檛 think I鈥檒l ever forget,鈥� she said.听

鈥淭hese sorts of jobs stay with you 鈥� the patient鈥檚 name, what they looked like, the way the scene sounded, the smells; they鈥檙e all things that you can see and feel and hear when you are reminded of the job.听

鈥淚t fundamentally changes how you view life and your own mortality, in seeing how very quickly things can go wrong.听

鈥淔or me, this job caused a lot of trouble for quite a long time because I obviously didn鈥檛 know she鈥檇 survived, and she has kids 鈥� it was very eye-opening to me how quickly the whole world of everyone included can implode.听

鈥淪eeing Astrid again is like closing the loop.听

鈥淭hese big jobs are very stressful, but the trade-off is very much worth it because at the end of the day, someone鈥檚 been able to go home to their family.鈥�

Astrid together with her daughter Jazmin at a Mother's Day school event.

Astrid and her daughter, Jazmin, at a Mother鈥檚 Day school event a few days before the crash.

Astrid said she鈥檚 still coming to terms with the events of 14 May 2018.听

鈥淢y husband told me that the day before I was so happy and I was banging on that it was the best Mother鈥檚 Day I鈥檇 had in a while,鈥� she said.听

鈥淚t鈥檚 been a rough time but when you鈥檝e got a supportive husband and parents, and great kids, that鈥檚 what gets you through.听听

鈥淚t started with those people who saved my life on the day 鈥� without them doing their job so perfectly, I wouldn鈥檛 be how I am.听听

鈥淭he paramedics, all the people in ICU, the doctors, they all did an amazing job and I just want to thank them.听听

鈥淪ome days I say I wouldn鈥檛 wish this upon my worst enemy, but I鈥檓 in a good place from where I could have been, and I wouldn鈥檛 be without what all those people did.鈥�听