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That
Thursday
The
Donation Decision
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Last Thursday was another day just like any other...everyone was busy
with their work and personal business...then came a phone call that
would change this family's life forever. My brother's workmates phoned
our neighbour trying to contact either my mother or myself. It seems
Peter had been working on a construction job at Tugun and had "fallen
off a shed".
When the news reached my mother it was a bit of a shock but Peter
had many a small accident in his work life and this did not register
as anything more serious. She went to the hospital thinking he might
have a broken arm, leg or just bruises, and he would greet her with
a sorry smile and a few choice words describing what had happened...but
this was not the case...
On the way to the hospital mum picked up Pete's fiancé and
when they arrived at John Flynn hospital they were told that Peter
was on life support and had received horrific internal head injuries.
His brain had swelled and actually extruded into his brain stem causing
irreversible brain damage. They told my mother that he was "brain
dead" but extensive tests were to be performed over a specified
number of hours to ascertain this fact.
By this time I had received a call from my son who was at home and
with our neighbour when the initial call came through. He was not
aware of the extent of the injuries but told me to contact my mother.
Within minutes of receiving the call, I heard from my mother who informed
me of the terrible news and told me to get to John Flynn Hospital.
My husband and I, in a state of disbelief, left what we were doing
and drove to Tugun.
We were in shock, not know any facts, not understanding how this could
be happening...especially to Peter who was the true "superhero"
who could get out of anything or fix any situation. We could not even
speak, it seemed the world was holding its breath as we drove.
When we arrived at the hospital I just wanted to see my brother...I
believed he could get through this...he could get through anythng!!!
At that time they were moving him to ICU and there was a delay before
we could see him. He had not regained consciousness and was on life
support.
Peter was an electrician but this job was actually casual labouring
for a building contractor. They were erecting an industrial shed to
be used as a long-term car park for Coolangatta airport. It was situated
in Boyd St Tugun just meters from John Flynn hospital. Just minutes
from where he lay. Apparently he and five others were putting the
roof on the building and he fell through a gap and hit the bitumen
headfirst.
The fall was 5.9 meters. (The legal height for working without safety
gear is 2.4 meters)
At the hospital, during our long wait that afternoon, family and friends
gathered to support us and share this terrible time. It became apparent
after a couple of sets of extensive tests which are done hours apart,
that my brother was actually brain dead and was not going to survive
this fall. The moment of realisation of that fact was almost unacceptable.
Here he was breathing (or so it appears because his chest was going
up and down) and warm, a bandage around his head and tubes everywhere.
Somehow you believe he will wake up and get on with life...You can't
really accept he is dead!
By this time our Dad arrived from Brisbane and was informed of the
situation. The family was numb...
Then the decision was made that everyone had to agree upon, Peter's
organs would be donated to the transplant unit.... This started another
long wait while arrangements were made for the teams to come and begin
their procedures.
All afternoon hospital staff looked after our group of family and
friends in a very caring manner. We were given a hospital room in
an unused wing on another floor with telephone and tea, coffee and
sandwiches. We took turns to go up and down to Peter in intensive
care just to spend time with him, though he was "not really there".
The doctors and staff were extremely considerate of the family's need
to be with him even though he was dead.
The room we were given (I am sure without them realising) overlooked
the shed that Peter fell from and to look out the window at a perfect
Gold Coast day, with your brother lying dead in ICU and looking over
the shed he fell from only a few hundred meters away seemed surreal.
The reason I have given these details to you as a background is that
knowing how things took place on that day is probably important to
how you look at the rest of the details of this case.
It seems that jobs on the Coast are so hard to come by and contracts
so hard to win that many shortcuts are taken, the most common one
being on provision of proper safety equipment on sites. Peter fell
5.9 meters, he was required, by law, to have been supplied with a
safety harness/scaffolding/cherry picker with platform/roofing mesh
or other forms of fall protection...none were on site.
Peter was a very highly respected skipper at Air Sea Rescue Point
Danger. He was brave and fearless but had a high regard for safety.
He was responsible for rescuing many people and saving many lives,
sometimes risking his own. He has earned incredible respect from his
crew and the Air Sea Rescue Organisation, Police, Trawler operators
and Diving groups. His work affected the whole Tweed boating community.
He was a very colourful character and gave his all to everyone. His
death must not go to waste (though his organs live on). This whole
case must be shown as an example of what takes place too often due
to negligence when individuals or contractors do not face up to the
legal requirements of the Workplace Health and Safety Act.
My brother was just 37 years of age...he had a very full life but
I am sure he was looking forward to enjoying much more of it for many
years to come. If we, as a family, can use the example of this terrible
case to help save some lives in the future then we know Peter did
not die in vain.
Lets help lift the standards!! |
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