Crash victim thanks rescuers

Lying on the side of the North West Coastal Highway unable to move, Tara Maxwell thought she was going to die.

Only minutes earlier, a leisurely road trip to the beach for lunch and a swim turned into chaos when a kangaroo spooked by nearby mustering launched itself into the side of the motorbike on which she had been pillion passenger.

Thrown from the bike, Ms Maxwell rolled 60m, racking up a substantial list of injuries including six broken ribs in her back, a punctured lung, fractures to her skull, nose and spine, a broken wrist, lacerations, bruising and missing skin.

“There was just nothing that we could do, it went straight into us and under the wheel … a lot of my injuries are from rolling on the gravel, ” Ms Maxwell said.

As horrific as her injuries were, Ms Maxwell believes last-minute encouragement from her father, who was visiting Hedland and driving the motorbike, to change from shorts and a light shirt into a ski jacket, jeans and leather boots prevented her injuries from being a lot worse.

“To hit the ground at 110km/h and roll 60m, we can’t believe that we walked away from that, ” Ms Maxwell said.

“My dad was wearing Kevlar (motorcycle) clothing and a full-face helmet, that’s why he didn’t get much damage, his clothing didn’t rip at all.

“If he had been wearing his gloves he wouldn’t have had any injuries at all.”

Lying on that road side, Ms Maxwell was overwhelmed by the kindness of complete strangers who rendered assistance and waited with the group until emergency services arrived.

And thanks to social media, she has connected with some of the people who helped her.

“To be lying on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere and thinking you are going to die, and have all these people stop and make sure you’re OK — it’s hard to describe (the feeling of appreciation), ” she said.

“It was just so wonderful that people stopped and helped and stayed with me, I am so grateful to everyone.

“The staff at the Roebourne and Nickol Bay hospitals, the four ambulances who attended the scene, the Royal Flying Doctor Service … the amazing treatment I got in Perth, I couldn’t fault any of it.”

Returning to Hedland last Wednesday after three weeks at Royal Perth Hospital, Ms Maxwell expects her recovery to take about three months.

The crash has given her a new perspective on life — on Monday her biggest achievement was peeling a mandarin on her own.

“It’ll be a long road to recovery but there’s nothing that can’t be fixed which is amazing considering the circumstances, ” she said.

But one thing is certain: Ms Maxwell won’t be getting on a motorbike again.