Felicity Kennedy, 11, reunites with LifeFlight crew who rescued her after freak slip-n-slide accident
A 11-year-old girl has recounted the moment her femur snapped in half while on a homemade slip-n-slide as she was reunited with the medical team who rushed to her aid.
An 11-year-old girl has been reunited with the medical team who rushed to her aid when she broke her leg on a slip-n-slide in the Scenic Rim.
Rathdowney’s Felicity Kennedy and her family had been celebrating Australia Day earlier this year in a paddock at Christmas Creek.
The group had set up a 120m slip-n-slide down a hill with a large piece of orange plastic and an excavator at the bottom to create a temporary pool.
Felicity was on a rubber tube sliding down the hill with five other kids when her leg got tangled at the bottom, snapping her femur bone in half.
The family called triple-0 and the Gold Coast LifeFlight rescue helicopter and Queensland Ambulance Service paramedics were sent to the property, which was a 90-minute drive to the nearest hospital.
Felicity said her leg was “bent like a banana”.
“When I was getting out of the water, I tried to walk and I couldn’t,” she said,
“A friend carried me out and then we saw my leg.
“I was crying and screaming.”
Felicity’s mother Katie Kennedy said her daughter was “screaming in pain”.
“She was having an unreal day beforehand,” she said.
“She was smiling and laughing. You couldn’t stop her. It happens. That’s just the way things are.”
Mrs Kennedy said her daughter was “drifting in and out of consciousness”.
“Her pain was unbelievable,” she said.
LifeFlight pilot Tyson Pearce said the young girl had a “very serious injury” and she was rushed to the Queensland Children’s Hospital in Brisbane.
She underwent surgery and had to learn how to walk again.
Felicity and her family were recently reunited with the critical care team and paramedics who flew to her aid.
Mr Pearce said it was “wonderful” to be able to meet Felicity again.
“It’s put a big smile on my face and I’m happy to see she is walking around again,” he said.
Mr Pearce said the two-week period during Christmas and the New Year was the Gold Coast based LifeFlight’s busiest time and the service usually saw a 21 per cent increase in rescues.
“We find that we are tasked with more accident missions around Christmas,” he said.
“We fly to scenes like Felicity’s where people have injured themselves.
“It’s always rewarding saving people, we all feel proud of doing our job and helping our communities during the Christmas holidays is special.”
Originally published as Felicity Kennedy, 11, reunites with LifeFlight crew who rescued her after freak slip-n-slide accident
