Motorbike rider Cooper Janzik found in shrubs at Sunset Strip after crash
Missing for more than seven hours after a motorbike crash on Phillip Island, a teen was later found unconscious in the bushes — miraculously still alive.
Bass Coast News
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A young motorcyclist is lucky to be alive after being found unconscious in the bushes by a passer-by more than seven hours after he was involved in a crash near a roundabout on Phillip Island.
Cape Woolamai man Cooper Janzik, 19, was riding on Back Beach Rd in Sunset Strip when he was thrown from his bike after hitting a gutter about 2.30am on March 2.
It wasn’t until about 9am that a driver spotted Cooper and his bike as they were driving past the scene.
His mum Kylie Stone told the Herald Sun she got in her car to look for Cooper as he hadn’t returned home.
The 51-year-old said after her son was found he was flown to the Royal Melbourne Hospital and had three separate bleeds and bruising to his brain, nerve damage behind his right eye, three fractured teeth and a fractured wrist.
She said Cooper also had Type 1 diabetes and his blood sugar levels had been playing up since the crash. He also had post-traumatic amnesia (PTA) for a few weeks after the incident.
Ms Stone has been travelling up and back from Phillip Island to spend time with Cooper, who has been in hospital since the incident.
Ms Stone said Cooper worked as an apprentice chef at Mario’s in San Remo and that his boss had been very supportive.
“To be quite honest, we don’t know whether he’ll be able to (return),” she said.
“We’re hoping that ultimately he can go back to work and live as independently as possible.”
Ms Stone had to resign from her part-time customer service job to support her son and said he spent his days doing a lot of physiotherapy, rehab, speech pathology and seeing his neuropsychologist.
She said the crash has affected the right side of his body which he struggled to move.
“We’re hoping he’s going to get discharged in the next four to six weeks and he will have a lot of rehab to do in the next 24 months,” Ms Stone said.
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“We don’t know yet about going back to work but when he can, it’s going to be super slow — he won’t be able to get back on with his life for quite a while.
“He has always talked about going on another motorbike — which I’m not a fan.”
A police spokeswoman said investigations into the crash remain ongoing.
Anyone who witnessed the incident, has CCTV/dashcam footage or information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers Victoria on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report online.
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