Kat Gration, Dave Lovick: The painful recovery after a near-death farm accident

Dave Lovickhad his life turned upside down when he was involved in a horseriding accident near Merrijig. See his story of survival.

While farm safety is a priority for most producers, there is always the chance something might go wrong.
The chance accidents may lead to serious injury or death is particularly high in the ag industry, and learning from others’ mistakes could help lessen some risks.

Farmers in North East Victoria are often born into the horse saddle, learning to muster cattle through the roughest of terrain from an early age.

In 1976, Dave Lovick, the cousin of renowned horseman Charlie Lovick, had his life turned upside down when he was involved in a horseriding accident near Merrijig.

Merrijig farmer Dave Lovick, pictured age 5, before a serious horseriding accident changed his life. Picture: Supplied

When Mr Lovick was just seven years old, he had a horror fall from a horse. His foot twisted in the stirrup and became stuck, causing the horse to drag him down a hill.

Mr Lovick said he was pronounced dead three times, before miraculously being resuscitated each time.

He spent months in the Royal Children’s Hospital, learning how to crawl, walk and talk again before returning home to Merrijig.

“It would’ve been terrible for Mum and Dad,” he said. “The recovery took a while and I was a long way behind the other kids. It took me a long time to catch up.”

Years later Mr Lovick also survived a scary motorcycle accident.

In the winter of 1992, Mr Lovick was riding between properties as the setting sun blinded his vision.

Rounding a corner, Mr Lovick had a head-on collision with a car. He spent three months in hospital recovering from multiple breaks in both his legs and hips.

The high country farmer said he initially recovered reasonably well, but over time the pain has increased.

But at 52, Mr Lovick does what he can and loves catching up with friends, having a beer every now and again and making sure his Merrijig property is pristine.

Kat Gration and the aftermath of her farm accident

Despite the shift from horses to quad-bikes, the serious outcomes of accidents remains much the same.

Gippsland farmer Kat Gration was injured in an unlucky accident when her quad-bike collided with a wombat during a midnight paddock run.

Mrs Gration lives on her Mirboo North property with her husband and three kids, where they run sheep, cows and horses.

In November last year, Mrs Gration and her husband were checking on a calving cow in the middle of the night when they became involved in a serious accident.

“There was ample lighting coming from our quad-bike, but we were coming up a steep track and we couldn’t quite see the edges,” she said.

“I came around a corner and there was a wombat on the track. I didn’t have any time to stop or avoid it.

“After that I tried to make sure the quad bike stayed up and that we didn’t go down the bank on the side, which has a 200m drop.

“Our only choice was to go into a rock wall at full speed, hit the wall and try to dismount. Luckily I kept conscious during the accident.”

Mrs Gration initially felt the impact but didn’t believe she was seriously injured. She and her husband dusted themselves off, then continued to check on the calving cow.

As adrenaline flowed through Mrs Gration’s body, it was her husband that noticed the damage to her knee and blood that was “gushing out”.

She had suffered a severe cut to her leg, exposing her kneecap.

The 32-year-old mum was rushed to hospital where she underwent surgery to clean the wound. Remarkably she was in hospital for no more than 16 hours.

Kat Gration and the aftermath of her farm accident.

Her recovery has been sometimes painful and prolonged. Heavy bruising still remains on her legs four months after the accident.

Mrs Gration can do some jobs on the farm, but she is wary of how her healing body feels.

After a life of working on the farm, she said she was now more aware of how easily accidents could happen.

“I have driven quad bikes all my life,” she said.

“But I am a bit more anxious and constantly checking the road. I was never going fast but now my speed has halved.”

WorkSafe executive director of health and safety Dr Narelle Beer urged farmers to make sure safety was an important part of their daily routine.

Kat Gration and the aftermath of her farm accident

“No one is immune to the risks of workplace fatalities and injuries on farms,” she said.

“Simple measures such as planning ahead, getting in extra help during busy times, ensuring machinery is well maintained and guarded and, when you’re working alone, making sure someone knows where you are and when you’re due back can all reduce the risks.”

According to WorkSafe Victoria statistics, since 2018 there have been 35 deaths in the agriculture, forestry and fishing industry in the state.

In that same time there have also been 2358 injury claims across those three industries in Victoria, making them some of the state’s most dangerous industries, accounting for about 14 per cent of workplace deaths despite making up just 2 per cent of the state’s workforce.

The chance of an accident, and becoming one of these statistics, could be just one wrong moment away.