Brett Coleman was shocked by a 12,700 volt powerline and survived

CLINGING to life after being shocked by a 12,700 volt power line, Brett Coleman wasn’t expected to live. But he hasn’t just survived — what he has done since is incredible.

AS he hurtled down a bike track in Victoria the last thing Brett Coleman expected to encounter was a live power line.

But a freak chain of events had caused the line to drop to head-level and he brushed against it as he sped past. The result was explosive and almost deadly.

The 12,700 volts coursed through the 40-year-old’s body from contact with his lower left ear and back.

There was a third shock but his burns were so bad the point of entry was less clear.

Mr Coleman was shocked so badly doctors feared he would not survive. But now almost exactly two years later he tells news.com.au of his remarkable recovery — and what his brush with death has taught him.

“Each event is unique, so it’s hard to say how many survive and how many don’t. At the time they didn't expect me to. The odds sounded very stacked against me.”

Brett Coleman at the site on a bike track where he rode his mountain bike into a live powerline almost two years ago.

His neurological state was bad so they thought he would have a significant head injury. But as the second anniversary of the incident approaches, on January 27, he has made a total recovery and can reflect on how “lucky” he is.

“I feel much more lucky than unlucky. Obviously hitting the power line was unlucky but everything that happened from then, being found and then surviving, I was incredibly lucky.”

After the electric shock Mr Coleman crawled, semiconscious, away from the line and his bike and down the slope in the direction of a car park.

He crawled 50m but can remember nothing, his last memory was the day before. “That’s the strange thing. I didn’t even remember getting up that day. I pieced everything together cause I remember vividly things the day before.”

It was actually a decision he made the previous day that led him on a collision course with the downed line.

Brett Coleman says his near death experience has taught him how short life is and to make the most of every opportunity.

He didn’t normally ride down the track and decided to go left instead of right.

“The day before I came to it and thought ‘next time I’ll go left and see where that goes’. Everything was the same as the day before but instead I went left instead of right.”

It wasn’t the only split decision that had a massive impact on his life. A group of riders who came across him, unconscious, twitching with his clothes torn, also unexpectedly chose that path.

Mountain bikers Craig Esposito, Andrew Bray and David Piaia had intended for a longer ride that morning but instead chose the path that Mr Coleman did.

Mr Esposito told the Geelong Advertiser he saw him on the grass and couldn’t figure out what happened.

His obvious wounds were ingrained with dirt from his crawl to safety.

“He was kind of in a foetal position, with one leg stretched out,” he said.

“I thought this guy’s stretching and called out to him but he didn’t respond.”

Doctors feared Brett Coleman would have a serious head injury after he got a 12,700 volt electric shock.

The riders approached him and as Coleman rocked on the ground they first saw the wounds.

“I just saw his shirt was sort of dissolved, I didn’t know what it was, his back was exposed and there was probably 25cm by 15cm with just no skin,” he said.

“I just thought how the hell have you done this to yourself. I was looking at the hill thinking how fast could you be going down the hill to do that?

“I wasn’t thinking electricity at all.”

Mr Coleman’s next memory was in The Alfred hospital’s ICU unit.

“I had to ask my wife what happened. It sought of sunk in slowly. I had to ask a few different times, the first time she gave quite a comprehensive answer but I don’t remember the response.”

At first doctors feared he had burns to 20 per cent of his body but after surgery realised it was 12 per cent.

Against the odds Brett Coleman made a full recovery after being shocked by a 12,700 volt power line.

“I had a major burn on the upper left side of my back. Both thighs, left foot, and both wrists. My fingers and hands were burned bad as well.”

Mr Coleman had to have a number of skin grafts and still has a lot of scars, although they are healing well.

“The lower part of the ear was lost though many don’t notice. If you stop to look you will notice it.”

His recovery is even more amazing given how close to death he was. Since the incident he won a marathon and joined wife Emma in running the New York marathon. His time of 2.36 meant he was the fourth Australian to finish.

“It’s not in my nature to [sit around] I love doing stuff and was active previously so I was keen to get back to doing them as quick as I could. I don’t like sitting on the couch.”

Remarkably, within three weeks of the electric shock he was exercising. “It helped me get back into condition and keep me a bit sane.”

Within three months he was virtually back running and almost at full health.

Despite his ordeal he told news.com.au he’d never had single nightmare. And his brush with death has given him an even greater desire to make the most of life

“It hasn’t changed what I do with everyday stuff because I always live life to the max. But it’s certainly given me a little bit more perspective about how short life can be.”

Now he seizes the moment wherever he can.

“You just don’t know what’s around the corner so if you can live for the moment, sensibly, I do it.”

The rescued and the rescuers (from left) Craig Esposito, Brett Coleman, David Piaia and Andrew Bray.