Nathan’s nightmare workplace accident

It was May 5 this year when Mareeba local Kim Johnson received the call that her 15-year-old son Nathan had been involved in a serious workplace accident.

It was May 5 this year when Mareeba local Kim Johnson received the call that her 15-year-old son Nathan had been involved in a serious workplace accident.

IT WAS May 5 this year when Mareeba local Kim Johnson received the call that her 15-year-old son Nathan had been involved in a serious workplace accident.

“I’d been mowing the lawn and went inside to find multiple missed calls from Nathan’s employer,” she said.

“Nathan was changing a grader tyre when a split rim came off and hit him in the face. He had multiple facial fractures, a lot of bone loss in his chin and his bottom jaw was in two pieces.

“He was flown straight to Townsville University Hospital by the Royal Flying Doctor Service and spent a week in PICU and endured major maxillofacial surgery.

“This included putting three plates into his face, having the multiple lacerations in his mouth sutured and his jaw wired together for six weeks to keep it stable.”

Kim said Nathan’s accident was complicated by the fact that he couldn’t eat or swallow.

“That made things harder, but I did manage to get quite creative with the blender, creating a range of meals for him to eat,” she said.

Months on from his injury, Kim said Nathan has recovered well.

“He ended up taking two months off work and moved back to Mareeba where he got an apprenticeship as a small engine mechanic,” she said.

Originally published as Nathan’s nightmare workplace accident