Six months ago the life of a Griffith woman was saved after a horrific crash on a dirt road.
Mia Richards had taken a wrong turn in Cocoparra National Park trying to find her way home. She overtook a farmer on a tractor and was driving along Eight Mile Tank Road near Rankins Springs when a group of pigs rushed onto the road in front of her.
Instinctively Ms Richards swerved to avoid them and her car left the road, rolled eight times and came to rest upside down in an empty irrigation channel.
For three hours Ms Richards hung upside down in her car, passing in and out of consciousness and struggling to breathe when the farmer found the wreckage.
Details about what followed were uncertain as Ms Richards has little memory of the accident. In fact, for a week afterwards she had little memory at all.
“I remember I could feel dirt in my hand and when I looked there was blood streaming down,” Ms Richards said.
“The farmer had to cut my hair with a pocket knife to help me breathe and he had no phone service so he had to go for help. I don’t know who he is.”
Emergency services cut the back door off Ms Richards car, pulled her out and sent to Griffith Base Hospital where she was given five bags of blood before being airlifted to Canberra Hospital.
Doctors worked hard to repair her skull which was broken in several places, immobilise the four broken vertebrae and set her broken arm. Ms Richards had five plates put into her head and more than 250 stitches.
During surgery she died and was revived five times. Ms Richards remembers the shock of the paddles being applied to her chest but little else. After three weeks in Canberra, Ms Richards was returned to Griffith Base Hospital for another five weeks.
If not for the farmer on the tractor, Ms Richards said, she wouldn’t be alive today.
“I owe my life to him,” Ms Richards said. “I just want to find him and say thank you for saving my life. If anyone knows who he is, please help me find him.”
The six months after the accident had been hard work and her parents and friends had been a great help. Beelbangera Public School, where her daughter attends, had been very supportive.
Until the accident Ms Richards had spent her time helping other people. If anyone is able to help find the mystery farmer, please contact The Area News office on 6962 1733 or email editor@areanews.com.au
