Crash victims face recovery battle

MORANBAH crash victims Tony and Vicki Wilson have a long road ahead – but family support is getting them through.

The scene of the crash on the Bruce Highway, near Carmila, on Labour Day, in which Tony and Vicki Wilson were badly injured. Picture: Tony Martin

MORANBAH crash victims Tony and Vicki Wilson have a long road ahead – but family support is getting them through.

Mr and Mrs Wilson are in the intensive care unit (ICU) at Mackay Base Hospital following a head-on collision on the Bruce Highway at Carmila, in which 24-year-old German tourist Alex Lang died.

The couple's three children Kristy, 20, Nicholas, 18, and Brenton, 14, have been by their parents' side since the crash and were yesterday thanking emergency services and others who saved their parents' lives.

Mrs Wilson, 45, has horrific injuries including internal bleeding, substantial ripping and tearing of the bowel, a fractured ankle, broken wrist, pneumonia and a collapsed lung.

She is expected to remain in ICU for at least two months.

Mr Wilson, 48, is recovering from a shattered kneecap, two fractured vertebrae in his back (with a splinter lodged in his spinal cord), a collapsed lung and cuts and bruises.

“At the moment everything is up in the air, it is going to be a very long recovery process for both of them,” their daughter Kristy Wilson said yesterday.

Ms Wilson said her mother called her minutes after the accident.

“I missed the phone by literally five seconds.”

“She was having trouble breathing and it sounded like she was crying.

"She said her and dad had been in a bad accident and were pinned in the car but that she loves us and to look after each other.

“We were terrified that we would lose both of our parents,” she said.

Mrs Wilson was airlifted to the Mackay Base Hospital while Mr Wilson was initially flown to Rockhampton Hospital in a critical condition.

“Dad had a lot of trouble not being near mum,” Ms Wilson said.

It wasn't until Thursday that Mr Wilson could be taken back to Mackay Base Hospital to be by his wife's side.

The Wilson children are being supported by family and friends in Mackay but have left their lives in Moranbah to be by their parents' bedside.

The family owns two service stations and a tyre and mechanical business in Moranbah.

“We are here indefinitely, at least until things start to look up,” Ms Wilson said.

“We are a very close family.”

“They are both able to communicate with us but it is hard as they are both really tired and need rest.”

Miss Wilson said they wanted to thank the doctors, nurses, Royal Flying Doctor Service, RACQ-CQ Rescue, people at the scene and family and friends who had been supporting them during the ordeal.

“The emergency services did an amazing job, the police have been wonderful and so supportive throughout the whole ordeal. We owe them so much and can't thank them enough,” she said.

“We also wish the German driver a safe recovery and our condolences on his loss.”

Originally published as Crash victims face recovery battle