Motorbike crash survivor Andrew Elkin wants to thank good Samaritan who saved his life

Motorcyclist Andrew Elkin would have died after being hit by a truck in a horror crash if it weren’t for a quick thinking passer-by. Now he’s keen to find the mystery stranger who saved his life.

Motorcycle crash victim Andrew Elgin, 54, is in rehab at Epworth Hawthorn after having his leg amputated after a horror truck crash. Picture: David Caird

Andrew Elkin knows he’s lucky to be alive — and wants to find and thank a mystery stranger who has given him a future.

Mr Elkin, 54, was riding his motorcycle on October 17 when a truck pulled out in front of him. Nowhere to go, the last thing he remembers before impact was seeing the white of the truck door.

“Then I was tumbling and it was sort of green and it was blue and it was green and it was blue.’’

Concussed and splayed on the grass on the side of the South Gippsland Highway he later came around to see four or five passers-by hovering over him.

But one good Samaritan, seeing the state of his mangled right leg, acted to prevent further blood loss.

“One of the first-aiders put a tourniquet on, right up high up on my thigh,’’ he said.

“I was told later on … that the first-aider at the scene actually saved the life.

“I’d like to be able to thank them.’’

Mr Elkin had left his Somerville home that morning on his Triumph Tiger Sport to ride to Eden in southern NSW to meet friends, and next day ride back to Phillip Island for a weekend at the MotoGP.

The wreckage of Andrew Elkin's Triumph motorcycle.

But his trip came to an abrupt end just one hour in, east of Tooradin, his life changing in an instant.

He spent five days in an induced coma in the intensive care unit at the Alfred.

His right leg was amputated above the knee, and his right arm was badly broken.

His arm will recover and he’s already practising with a prosthetic leg as part of his rehabilitation at Epworth Hawthorn.

Road Policing Assistant Commissioner, Glenn Weir said Mr Elkin’s experience was

just one of hundreds this year where a split second of inattention behind the wheel resulted in catastrophic outcomes.

“This is something we’ve seen far too often in this year’s road trauma, and it’s all too avoidable.

“While Andrew has fortunately survived, he is now facing months of rehabilitation and life-changing injuries.

“We often talk about the lives lost on our roads, but there are also thousands of serious injury collisions just like Andrew’s every year that are impressive, inspirational not only for the person involved, but their families, friends and loved ones.

“We’re urging everyone to make road safety a priority during the festive period.’’

The statewide Operation Roadwise will run from 12.01am on Friday (15 December) to 11.59pm on January 1.

Andrew is determined to “be back up and walking again.’’ Picture: David Caird

For Mr Elkin, an operations and maintenance worker at Hydro Tasmania, he knows his future could have been worse, much worse.

“Well, it’s a pretty shitty thing that’s happened. I wasn’t at fault, but it’s just one of those things – wrong place at the wrong time.

“It’s going to change my life forever. Life as I know will never ever be the same again but then I just look at some of the alternatives.

“I could have died on the side of the road, if it wasn’t for someone giving me some first aid.

“I could have ended up with a brain injury. I could have ended up with spinal injury.

“Yeah, I’m pretty lucky to be here. And you know, one day I’ll be back up and walking again.’’

A rider with more than 30 years’ experience and wearing full protective gear, Mr Elkin says it all happened so quickly.

“It’s the first ever accident that I’ve ever had.’’

And he’s determined to ride again once he gets the hang of his prosthetic leg and finds a bike (he’s already in the market for a 2020 Ducati Multistrada 1260) that can be adapted to suit.

More immediately, Mr Elkin is hoping to get a few days at home for Christmas and then return to Epworth Hawthorn for another month of rehab.

Police are still investigating the crash.