Vinicius De Andrade: Adelaide Hills family’s plea after ‘freak’ work incident

The young Adelaide Hills dad’s life changed in an instant when a normal day at work turned into a nightmare.

Vinicius De Andrade faces a long road to recovery after a 3 metre glass door fell on him, causing a brain injury at work. Picture: Supplied

It was a normal Wednesday morning at work for Vinicius De Andrade when a “freak” work incident sent the beloved husband and father of two to hospital suffering brain injuries and facing a long road to recovery.

The 32-year-old from Adelaide Hills was working on a construction site in Brighton on December 3 when a three-metre glass sliding door — weighing about 200kg — fell off its hinges, and came crashing down on him.

“It was just unexpected,” his brother-in-law Andre Carle said.

“It was like a freak accident.”

Vinicius De Andrade was injured in a workplace incident. Picture: Supplied

The doors had been installed a few days prior, according to Mr Carle, and no one had been standing with Mr De Andrade when the incident occurred.

Workers came rushing when they heard a “loud bang” to find him collapsed on the ground, glass shattered around him.

The force of the door left him unconscious, struggling to respond and suffering a seizure when the ambulance arrived.

Paramedics induced him into a coma until he reached the hospital where he was transferred into the Intensive Care Unit with a concussion and brain bleed.

Mr Carle said he was “in shock” when he got the call about the accident, saying he could not “comprehend something like that was happening”.

“He was just a normal hard-working guy, trying to work hard to keep up with the cost of living here and look after a young family,” he said.

“He’s a family man, so it’s just a very freak, unfortunate accident that like happen to such a nice person.

“I don’t think it should happen to anyone, it’s terrible if it happens to anyone, but you just never think it’s going to be someone so close to you,

Although Mr Andrade has been transferred out of the ICU, the timing has been especially painful for the family, who had been preparing for the holidays before everything changed.

As the sole breadwinner to the family, his wife Madison and his two children under age of three have an overwhelming ordeal to face.

“If anyone is with an open heart at this time of year, it’s a bit hard cause we did have some plans to enjoy Christmas with our family,” Mr Carle said.

“We’ve had to change a few of our plans and just kind of focus on his recovery.

“So we really appreciate it for everyone who donates and in advance, I’ll say thank you to everyone who’s already donated already.”

A GoFundMe has now been set up to support Mr Andrade and his family, describing him as “a devoted husband, a loving father to two small children, and the cornerstone of his young family”.

“With this sudden incident, their world has become more difficult,” the fundraiser description reads.

“His wife is by his side at the hospital while also trying to care for their children, manage expenses, and hold everything together in the midst of overwhelming stress and fear.”

If you would like to support Mr De Andrade and his family during this difficult chapter, you can do so here.

SafeWork SA confirmed it was notified of the incident and is investigating.

“An inspector and investigator will be attending the site to make inquiries into the circumstances that led to a worker being taken to hospital,” a spokesman said.

Originally published as Vinicius De Andrade: Adelaide Hills family’s plea after ‘freak’ work incident