Freak accident leaves Qld cop hospitalised with brain bleed

A former Queensland cop has been in hospital for nine months with a serious brain injury after he collided with a pedestrian while cycling on Brisbane’s Story Bridge, while off duty.

Bronte Harkness and Andy Pool pictured at the PA Hospital. Pic: Josh Woning.

A Queensland police officer, who suffered a brain bleed after a freak accident on the Story Bridge is still in hospital morethan nine months after the incident.

Senior Sergeant Andrew “Andy” Pool and his wife Senior Constable Bronte Harkness were on a Sunday afternoon bike ride on July 21 last year when the freak accident occurred.

Snr Sgt Pool and Ms Harkness had visited the Valley Pool in Fortitude Valley and were just 500m from their Kangaroo Point apartment when Snr Sgt Pool and a pedestrian collided in the bicycle lane of the Story Bridge.

Speaking for the first time since the freak accident, Ms Harkness said her husband, affectionately known as “Pooly”, had been a police officer in North Queensland for more than 30 years.

Snr Sgt Pool who joined the Queensland Police Service (QPS) in 1993 aged 20 had just months earlier transferred to Brisbane’s Domestic and Family Violence and Vulnerable Persons Unit.

“My husband and I had gone to the Valley Pool, we didn’t have a swim, we just went looking around because we were new to the area,” Ms Harkness said.

“On the way home, we were riding our bikes along the Story Bridge and unfortunately a beautiful young couple, young and in love, (were) talking to each other, not looking where they were going.”

Anthony Williams, PA Hospital Physiotherapy Assistant, Andy Pool and Bronte Harkness with Meg Ingram, PA Hospital Physiotherapist. Pic: Josh Woning.

“The gentlemen moved into the bike lane and Andy had nowhere to go … unfortunately he collided with the pedestrian.”

Ms Harkness said the pedestrian was uninjured.

“Unfortunately Andy hit his face, even though he was wearing his helmet, he hit his face on the concrete and got a brain bleed,” she said.

“Two weeks later he was discharged from hospital, they thought he was fine.

“That night he had a brain bleed and was back in hospital that (following) morning (for) emergency surgery.”

Ms Harkness said the “deep brain bleed” caused a traumatic brain injury.

She said a police investigation “found no one was at fault”.

Speaking about the outcome of that investigation, Ms Harkness said: “I was quite angry about it for a while and then I realised that they were just a lovely young couple, in love, walking along the Story Bridge, the same way that we were riding along the Story Bridge.”

“(The male pedestrian) did a silly thing, that he didn’t even realise he was doing, he was actually looking at his girlfriend.

“The human in me was a little bit more forgiving and a little bit more understanding that accidents happen and that no one intended to harm my husband.

“But yeah the copper in me wanted it investigated … I don’t want to ruin their lives either.”

Speaking about the accident, Ms Harkness said: “I could see (the male pedestrian) and was going ‘Move! Move! Move!’.”

“He couldn’t hear me or my husband’s (bicycle) bell … I look at it now as a horrible tragedy, just an accident.”

“That young couple were actually heading to her birthday......they were really apologetic, they didn’t know what to do or say …(the male pedestrian) called the ambulance.”

“These are two good people that have unfortunately ruined my husband’s life and so the anger sort of dissipated over time because I realised they were just a young couple starting out.

“Andy was knocked out so I didn’t know if he was dead or alive to be honest, I was in a bit of shock.”

Ms Harkness said the couple’s three children aged 24, 25 and 29 were “coping as best as young adults can”.

Andy Pool pictured at the PA Hospital.

“But my daughter in particular is a bit of a daddy’s girl, she’s a doctor, she is paying for flights left, right and centre to come down and visit,” she said.

“One of my sons lives with us so he comes with me all the time to the hospital and the other (son) lives in Cairns … he can’t fly down as often.”

More than nine months after the freak accident, Snr Sgt Pool remains in the PA Hospital’s Brain Injury Rehabilitation Unit (BIRU) which offers intensive inpatient rehabilitation during the early recovery stages after a brain injury.

The six-day therapy program is facilitated by an allied health team of physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech pathologists, dietitians, social workers, rehabilitation engineers, psychologists, neuropsychologists, and clinical assistants.

Ms Harkness medically retired from the QPS earlier this year.

“It’s really scary because you don’t want to become the carer and not the wife but you want to become the carer and the wife,” she said.

“You don’t want to ruin that relationship that you have so I will probably still have a couple of people do bits and pieces but I’ll be the primary carer.

“They think Andy will be in a wheelchair but that he will be able to do what’s called stand and step.”

Ms Harkness and Snr Sgt Pool have been together for 32 years but first met as teenagers.

“That’s why I say (he is) the love of my life, I met him when I was 15 and we sort of went different ways, he went and did law and I went off and travelled,” she said.

“A couple of years after I got back from travelling I looked him up as a mate and the rest is history … we went from mates to girlfriend and boyfriend.”

“I had the bubs while he pursued his career as a copper, I became a copper a little bit later.”

Ms Harkness said Snr Sgt Pool’s career had taken them to Cairns, Port Douglas, Prairie, Townsville, Yarrabah and Bamaga.

Speaking about their most recent move to Brisbane, Ms Harkness said: “It was scary for us to be honest, we were not sure what to expect.”

Ms Harkness said she was hopeful Snr Sgt Pool would be transferred to the Jasmine Unit at Wynnum in June, where he would continue to receive treatment for several months.

“He’s only 52 … he’s progressing, but it’s very slow,” she said.

“He’s still got that cheeky, funny side but it’s more childlike.”

Ms Harkness said before her husband was discharged from hospital he had “three clear CT scans”.

“So there was nothing more that they could do, there’s no way they could have predicted (the second brain bleed),” she said.

“There is a possibility that the (blood thinner) caused his vulnerable brain to bleed …(but) no one can say how the second bleed occurred.”

Snr Sgt Harkness said her husband was out of hospital for about 12 hours before he was rushed into emergency surgery.

“And that was basically a 10 minute decision as to if we don’t operate on him now or get him in the operating theatre now he’s gone.

“It’s heartbreaking … you’ve got minutes to make these decisions.”

Ms Harkness has since launched a GoFundMe as her family continue to adjust to their “new normal”.

“After emergency surgery, 10 weeks in a coma and multiple procedures, (Pooly) woke up to the fight of his life,” Ms Harkness wrote.

“Pooly has shown remarkable strength, but the road to recovery is far from over.

“He still faces months of inpatient care, ongoing rehabilitation and outpatient treatment.

“Now reliant on a wheelchair – once discharged from hospital – Pooly will need a modified vehicle to help him get to outpatient rehabilitation appointments and therapies, visit loved ones, and regain some independence.

“We’re raising funds for an electric vehicle (to be modified to Pooly’s needs) to ease the financial burden of transport and fuel costs.”

Queensland Police Union president Shane Prior said QPU “without hesitation” offered Senior Sergeant Andrew Pool and his family support financially and morally during his recovery.

“It’s always difficult to see someone who has dedicated their life to serving and protecting others, facing such significant health challenges,” he said.

“It’s commendable to see the community come together to support a committed police officer in his time of need.”

Originally published as Freak accident leaves Qld cop hospitalised with brain bleed