Family forced to drive critically-injured son towards ambulance after horror crash

‘Could have paralysed him’: A family was forced to drive their critically-injured son to an ambulance after a call to triple-0 failed to send help. Read about the blunder that almost cost a teenager his life.

A teenager who survived a horrific crash on the Arnhem Hwy is lucky to be alive after triple-0 told his family no medical flight was available, forcing them to drive towards Darwin to meet an ambulance – despite CareFlight never being tasked with the job.

Nate Chapman, 17, broke his neck and wrist, badly bruised his lungs and was vomiting up blood when his car rolled at least six times about 150km from Darwin on May 19.

His mother Jennifer Adams said she was told by a triple-0 operator the CareFlight helicopter was down for maintenance and there was no back-up but CareFlight has since confirmed they were never tasked for the incident by the emergency dispatcher.

Nate Chapman, 17, was lucky to escape with his life after a nasty crash 150km from Darwin left him in a critical condition and no CareFlight came to help. Picture: Supplied.

CareFlight could not confirm whether a flight would have been available at the time and a spokesman said “the quickest response” for Mr Chapman was by ambulance.

Beneath the terror she felt for her son, Ms Adams was furious.

“I had a son that was dying and I had to drive him, we were terrified,” she said.

“I am ropeable and want answers … it could have been a lot worse and I just don’t ever want anyone to have to go that through that.”

Mr Chapman had just finished a shift as an apprentice carpenter and was excited to make the 250km drive from his home in Jabiru to attend BASSINTHEGRASS.

An overcorrection on the road near Mount Bundey caused the P-plater to crash about 6.15pm, with his Toyota HiLux left crumpled and partially hidden by shrubbery.

It was just luck an oncoming car saw the dust cloud and lights from the crash – the driver one of Mr Chapman’s old teachers who called his family.

Mr Chapman’s car rolled at least six times off the Arnhem Hwy. Picture: Supplied.

Mr Chapman’s parents and two younger brothers piled in a car and rushed to the scene, their calls to triple-0 made more difficult as they drove in and out of phone reception.

Ms Adams said the triple-0 dispatcher told them to put their hazard lights on, drive Mr Chapman towards the Royal Darwin Hospital and an ambulance would meet them on the way.

“He was in a bad way, he was vomiting blood, he was in and out of consciousness, he didn’t know who I was,” she said.

“Me and my other two kids are trying to keep my son awake because he kept trying to doze off.”

They met the ambulance about 50km down the road, where he was rushed to hospital in a critical condition.

“Jumping in the ambulance I was listening to all of them be worried and preparing me for the worst, telling me that we might have to do some invasive action along the roadside,” Ms Adams said.

Mr Chapman spent six days in hospital recovering from the horror crash. Picture: Supplied.

It was not until he reached hospital more than two hours after the crash that it was revealed Mr Chapman had a broken neck.

“We could have paralysed him. We moved him, I’m holding his head up in the car,” she said.

“We were all watching him, keeping him awake, and if he fell asleep we were shaking him – little did we know he had a broken neck.

“There was no suggestion of any first aid or anything given over the phone to us, it was just put him in the car and drive.”

St John Ambulance NT Ambulance Services director Andrew Thomas said all processes had been followed in triple-0’s response to Mr Chapman’s crash.

“St John NT has conducted a thorough investigation into this case,” Mr Thomas said.

“The health of all of our patients is our highest priority, without their permission however, we are unable to provide specific details regarding how this case was managed.

“We can confirm that from the moment we received the triple-0 call that we followed all processes appropriately.”

Jennifer Adams says the family remains shaken after her son Nate Chapman’s terrifying incident. Picture: Supplied.

Ms Adams returned to the crash site the following day, where she said she ran into a CareFlight crew who said they had been stationed five minutes away and could have come to the scene.

“Where were they? There’s some kind of flaw in the emergency system here,” she said.

A CareFlight spokesman said they had aircraft available 24/7, operating the Top End Medical Retrieval Service on behalf of the NT government.

“In relation to the incident in question, there was limited information about the location of the patient and their movements,” he said.

“The quickest response for this patient was via road ambulance.”

Mr Chapman was in hospital for six days and while he is making a good recovery, the family remains shaken.

“He doesn’t really speak about it, I don’t think he’s really dealt with it yet,” Ms Adams said.

When someone in the NT calls triple-0, a Telstra dispatcher will determine which emergency service is needed and transfer the call.

The Joint Emergency Services Communication Centre, based in Knuckey Lagoon, hosts operators for NT Police, firefighters, Emergency Services and St John Ambulance NT, who are responsible for tasking CareFlight if needed.