War veteran’s foot ‘obliterated’ in horrific motorcycle accident on Vietnam Veterans’ Day
A Queensland war veteran faces his toughest test yet after almost losing his foot in a horrifying motorcycle crash one day before his birthday, and on Vietnam Veterans’ Day.
QLD News
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A Queensland war veteran faces his toughest test yet after almost losing his foot in a horrifying motorcycle crash one day before his birthday.
Afghanistan veteran Jim Behan, 32, was on his first ride with the Veterans Motorcycle Club’s central Queensland chapter on August 18, to mark Vietnam Veterans’ Day, when he lost control and struck a guardrail near Blackbutt, southeast of Kingaroy.
The impact “obliterated” Mr Behan’s left foot, shattering his shin bone and leaving his foot dangling by a piece of skin.
He was airlifted to Brisbane’s Princess Alexandra Hospital, where he was told he may need an amputation, but incredibly, medicos were able to save his foot using plastic surgery. But Mr Behan still has a long way to go.
Now his wife, Sarah, fears for her husband’s mental health and has called on the public’s support.
“(Surgeons took) muscle, nerve and blood vessels from the inner thigh of the same leg and transplanted that to his lower left leg,” Mr Behan’s wife Sarah told The Courier-Mail.
“It’s a day by day thing, it’s really hard. It’s hard trying to be positive all the time, it feels like it’s another thing, another thing.
“Nothing worth having is ever easy, but this is just shattering.”
After multiple tours of Afghanistan, serving his country for nearly eight years, Mr Behan was medically discharged due to his mental health, Mrs Behan said.
A Go Fund Me page has so far raised $10,000 for Mr Behan to recover from his injury at home with his wife.
Being a military veteran, Mr Behan’s medical costs have been covered by the Federal Government.
But Mrs Behan says further assistance is needed to protect her partner during his home recovery.
“Because he is a veteran and has a gold card they are covering all of the medical expenses, however with his mental health being at the fragile state that it is, and then with COVID, we need to get him home as soon as possible,” she said.
“His next surgery isn’t until two or three months, and they plan on keeping him in care for eight to 12 weeks unless he has an adequate home set up, so I’m trying to get the house sorted.”
“I am going to be pretty much a full time carer for the next six to 12 months minimum. It’s pretty crushing, it’s so overwhelming.”
Mr Behan struggles with his mental health, and this situation has sent him “into overdrive”
“He has been the main driving force in getting this (GoFundMe) going, because he is struggling with his mental health,” Mrs Behan said.
The Go Fund Me – which was started by Mr Behan’s friend Tim Stevens – calls for the community to “dig deep” to support the veteran.
“The accident was brutal. He was airlifted out and they are still trying to save his foot which may still require amputation as he has lost 15cm of bone,” the page reads.
“Jim received his Full Patch in 2016 and is one of our younger members at only 32 and has a long recovery road ahead of him.
“Jim has done multiple tours of Afghanistan and has served his country proudly.
“After such an horrific incident there are a lot of modifications required just to get Jim home with his loving wife Sarah.”