Brunswick West crash: Paul Raine’s search for good Samaritan

She has been dubbed the “Angel” of Brunswick West. And a Coburg cyclist is now trying to find the woman who came to his rescue after a nasty crash.

On the Mend: Paul Raine recovering in hospital after his horror bike crash

Paul Raine was riding home from work in the evening along Albion St in Brunswick West on May 5 when he hit a bumpy stretch of road near Garnet St and came off his bike.

He didn’t know it immediately, but Mr Raine had several fractures in his right heel bone and torn tendons in that foot. He also had several fractured ribs. All he knew in the moment was that he couldn’t put any weight on his right foot.

Luckily for Mr Raine a good Samaritan saw his accident. Sarah, who was driving behind him, stopped her car and offered to take him home.

Paul said his memory of the event was hazy due to the shock and pain he was in, and he isn’t even sure if he heard Sarah’s name correctly.

“It‘s terrible to have possibly forgotten your hero’s name,’’ he said. “Without her help I would have been stranded and felt lonely and ashamed with only myself to blame. But she helped me up and home and showed me the community cares.”

Faith Hunter, convener of the Moreland Bicycle User Group, a local organisation dedicated to campaigning for safer cycling, said Albion St was notorious with local cyclists.

“We hear from a lot of people who feel unsafe riding on Albion St west of Sydney Rd. It highlights how much we need safe east-west routes, separated from traffic, in Moreland,” she said.

Mr Raine has since had significant surgery to repair the injury, including a plate screwed into his right heel to hold the bone together and a bone graft taken from his right knee, and is recuperating at home in Coburg.

He hasn’t forgotten about how Sarah helped him or stopped thinking about what could have happened if she hadn’t stopped to help.

In a bid to locate Sarah, Paul’s partner Brianna Hudson made several posts on local ‘Good Karma Networks’, a popular suburb-specific facebook groups dedicated to facilitating community collaboration and cohesion, appealing for Sarah or someone who knows her to reach out. Ms Hudson said: “You can’t help but have those ‘what if …’ moments at times like this and to be lifted up by the thought of this person who put their own needs aside to ensure Paul was out of harms way is something I am forever grateful for.”

Both Paul and Brianna hope to locate Sarah to thank her for her generosity in person.

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