Gold Coast cycle accident victim ‘kept alive by newborn son’

A young Gold Coast woman has a “long road ahead” after being hit by a truck on her bike, but her newborn son is keeping her going.

A young mother hit by a truck while riding her bike is fighting for life, with her baby boy the only thing keeping her going, family say.

Angela Patocskai remains in the intensive care unit of Gold Coast University Hospital, only able to communicate through eye movements.

Her fiance Harley Stewart, 31, said her love for their three-month-old baby Alexander was the reason she was still alive.

“She lived for him, that’s how much she loves that little boy,” he said.

Ms Patocskai, 32, sustained critical injuries when a prime mover struck her on the Gold Coast Highway at Broadbeach on May 25.

Angela Patocskai, who was hit by a truck while cycling in Broadbeach, with partner Harley

Mr Stewart, who is a stay-at-home father, said he had been waiting for Ms Patocskai to cycle home after work, but she was about an hour late.

“We went down the street for a short walk and one of my neighbours said somebody had been hit by a truck near Pacific Fair, I asked was it a woman and he said yeah, I knew in that moment that it was her,” Mr Stewart said.

“We were just in this bubble as a young family with a first baby and then...”

Ms Patocskai moved to Australia from Serbia about three years ago as an international student.

The pair met while they were both working in a Cairns hostel before the pandemic hit.

The new mum had been working as a contract cleaner to provide for her family and fund her visa applications.

“She’s incredible, she’s just such a beautiful person,” Mr Stewart said.

New mother Angela Patocskai with partner Harley Stewart and baby Alexander Stewart

“She’d be working flat out because we’re trying to get her partnership visa because her visa runs out in a year.

“She is so selfless; she really cares about other people.”

The Gold Coast community has rallied around the young family, who live in Surfers Paradise.

Queensland Milk Bank has donated a 30-day supply of breast milk for baby Alexander.

Mr Stewart said money raised through a Go Fund Me fundraiser will be used to pay for Ms Patocskai’s visa costs. to pay out her tuition and living expenses during her lengthy recovery.

“She’s got a very very long road,” he said.

“She got to hold bub on Thursday night, and they are slowing brining her out of sedation to prepare her for extubation.

“Her spirits are really high, she is really fighting hard.”

A GoFundMe page has been established to aid the family.