Daniel Yates and Paul Yates in Canberra Hospital with serious injuries after Goulburn two-vehicle crash

A father may lose his leg, while his son’s face may need to be reconstructed, after a two-vehicle crash in the Southern Tablelands landed them in hospital during the long weekend.

A father and son are battling significant injuries – with one of them contracting Covid – after a two-vehicle crash in the Southern Tablelands landed them in hospital during the long weekend.

Last Friday afternoon, Goulburn locals Paul Yates, 58, and Daniel Yates, 29, were travelling on a motorcycle when they collided with a four-wheel drive at a roundabout on Clinton and Bourke Street in Goulburn.

Paul’s wife and Daniel’s mother, Jo Yates, was seen rushing to the scene, visibly shaken.

“With the tarps up, the first thing you think of is, ‘are they dead?’,” the men’s niece / cousin Tanika Pintos said.

An accident involving a motorcycle and four wheel drive happened on the Clinton St and Bourke Street roundabout in Goulburn on Friday April 15. Picture: Niki Iliagoueva

Due to their injuries, both men who are truck drivers had to be airlifted to Canberra Hospital on separate rescue helicopters, where they remain in serious conditions.

It was then confirmed in hospital that the son suffered a cracked skull, broken side to his face, and lost all of his teeth.

On top of that, he contracted Covid.

“What more can a person go through? Now his family can’t visit him for a week, and he’s been asking the nurses where he is and why his family isn’t with him,” Ms Pintos said.

“He also can’t remember what happened (with the accident).”

The father sustained a shattered leg, “to the point the doctors are unsure if they can save it and will possibly need to amputate”. He also lost most of his teeth.

“I can’t even begin to imagine what Daniel and Paul are going through at the moment,” Ms Pintos said.

Ms Pintos set up a GoFundMe to get the community’s support with bills and caring for the families of the men.

Paul Yates had his leg crushed in the accident and is in and out of surgery at the moment, awaiting the verdict of whether his leg can be saved.

“My uncle is the main support person in the house, he works and my aunty’s disabled,” Ms Pintos said.

“Daniel has a young child, so they have plenty of bills, and with Daniel not being able to work now it’s going to be really hard.”

Mrs Yates and her son’s wife, Courtney Yates, also need to be able to make the journey to hospital on a regular basis.

“Jo and Courtney should be able to travel to Canberra and not have to worry about the money situation,” Ms Pintos said.

When describing her husband and son, Mrs Yates said:

“Paul has three boys that he loves so much, he’s got six grandchildren that he thinks the world of.

“All his life all he’s ever done is work for his children and me and given us what we’ve always wanted.

Daniel Yates with his wife, Courtney, and their young son.

“And Daniel is the most loving boy around, he’ll do anything for his little boy and his wife.

“He works every day – if they want him to do overtime, he’ll do it. Just a real family man.”

Ms Pintos also pointed out how she’s noticed a lot of road accidents as of late.

“People need to pay more attention to the road, it’s a scary enough place as it is,” Ms Pintos said.

“There’s too many accidents around.”

At this point, police investigations are still ongoing and no charges have been laid.