Gold Coast drivers urged to take on roads after days of serious motorcyle accidents
A senior Gold Coast paramedic has issued a timely plea to drivers after a horror few days on the roads. Read what he said
Police & Courts
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Pulling up outside Queensland Ambulance Service HQ in Southport, Senior Operations Supervisor John Nolan appears flustered – you can’t blame him.
He’s not long started his shift and as he jumps out of his car in a hurry – sweat dripping from his forehead – he walks towards a waiting media pack where he’s about to address questions over a week in the job that he and his colleagues would rather never happened.
“Sorry I’m late,” he says, as he ushers the reporters and camera crews inside.
The press conference was scheduled for 1.30pm – he’s ten minutes late.
Mr Nolan has just returned from a serious motorcycle crash – another one - the rider suffered life-threatening injuries. It’s the fourth similar incident since Sunday.
“They’re quite tragic and sad, and they are totally avoidable” Mr Nolan said
“(They) involve young males in their 20s, quite a few of those have been fatal, if not, critically injured.
“I think it becomes part of the age group and thinking they are a bit bullet proof.”
The horror started on Sunday. An 18-year-old motorcycle rider suffering critical abdominal injuries when his bike slammed into a wooden fence at speed along Pacific Pines Boulevard.
The Maudsland man had to be revived by staff at Gold Coast University Hospital where it’s understood he remains on life support.
The following day, a teenager was rushed to hospital with life-threatening abdominal and pelvis injuries when he was struck by a reversing trailer at an address off Brighton Parade, Southport.
Then on Tuesday, 25-year-old Keisharn Brown was critically injured when his motorbike collided with a Kia Stinger on Oxley Drive at Paradise Point around 10.15am.
The Runaway Bay man was taken to Gold Coast University Hospital where, on Wednesday morning, he died from his injuries.
Later that very same day – emergency services would respond to yet another confronting scene.
A motorcyclist in his 20s with critical head injuries after his bike collided with a sedan on Cotlew Street in Southport.
On Thursday, another terrible case of deja vu – a motorcycle hitting a gutter before slamming into a tree on Wardoo Street in Southport.
The rider was a 21-year-old man.
“He was transported to Gold Coast University Hospital in a critical condition with what is a significant head injury” Mr Nolan said following the incident.
“These thing are confronting and they affect not only the patient and their families but also members of the public who witness these events, first responders,”
“It’s the sheer number we’re going to and the level of injury that we’re confronted with that’s definitely increasing.”
As someone who grew up around bikes and has continued riding himself, the past few days has struck closer to home for the senior paramedic.
“People just need to be aware of the consequences of their driver behaviour.
“Please just follow the road rules. Be aware of what’s going on around you.”
“Stick to the speed limit, try and avoiding driving when you’re fatigued – all of these things are preventible.”
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