Miracle survival after traumatic incident

Samantha Hind says it’s a miracle she’s alive after an incident almost two years ago left her with extensive injuries that saw her go into a coma for 12 days.

In January last year, Samantha, 52, was sunbaking on the lawn of her Frankston South home when her husband failed to see her while completing a turn onto the grass and accidentally drove over her.

The vehicle crushed Samantha’s chest and abdomen and left her laying on the lawn with extensive injuries.

After realising what had happened, Samantha’s husband, Jeff was distraught and yelled for their teenage son, Jarryd, to call Triple Zero (000) immediately while he tried to help her.

“Jeff said I was initially very swollen and purple, and I kept telling him that I was dying,” Samantha said.

Advanced Life Support (ALS) and Mobile Intensive Care Ambulance (MICA) paramedics arrived on scene and removed Samantha from underneath the vehicle.

Due to the significant injuries she had sustained, Samantha went into traumatic cardiac arrest, prompting MICA paramedics to perform a thoracostomy by inserting a needle into each side of her chest to relieve the air pressure on her lungs.

The paramedics were able to achieve return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) and administered oxygen therapy, pain medication and fluids to increase her blood pressure.

But not long after, Samantha went into traumatic cardiac arrest for a second time, with crews performing another thoracostomy, followed by a bilateral finger thoracostomy, where an incision is made on the side of the lungs and a finger inserted to relieve pressure.

A finger thoracostomy is a surgical procedure that can be completed by only a small number of paramedics, and luckily for Samantha, MICA paramedic Andrew Burns is one of them.

“For Samantha, we had to do a finger thoracostomy on each side of her chest due to how extensive her injuries were and her critical condition,” Andrew said.

“It was that procedure that saw us achieve ROSC for long enough to be able to transport her to hospital.”

Samantha was then intubated and administered more medications, before she was extricated and transported to a nearby specialist Air Ambulance Victoria helicopter, where she received 1.2 litres of blood while being airlifted to The Alfred.

Samantha was placed into a coma for 12 days and spent a total of 31 days in hospital. However, after being told to prepare for the worst, her family were able to welcome her home without any serious deficits.

“Speaking to all the medical professionals now, I realise just how much of a miracle it is that I’m not only alive but that I also have the quality of life that I do,” Samantha said.

“I still do physiotherapy and sometimes I get frustrated that I’m not physically where I was before the accident, but I’ve learnt to take each day as it comes.”

Andrew Burns said Samantha’s case is one that will always stay with him.

“Across all my years as a paramedic, it’s rare that you see someone that seriously injured, who not only lives, but retains their quality of life,” he said.

“It’s incredibly rewarding to see her with her family and in high spirits considering all that she’s been through.”

Triple Zero Victoria call-taker Michelle Aquilina commended Jarryd for the role he played in ensuring his mum received the emergency help she needed.

“Despite the highly stressful situation he faced, he remained composed and focused - providing location details, following every instruction that was critical to keeping his mum safe, whilst comforting her and relaying critical information that enabled us to get emergency help to his mum quickly,” she said.

Samantha recently got to express her thanks to the paramedics and the call taker who saved her life.

“I’m here today because of them and everything they did for me. I want each of them to know how thankful I am for the role they played. I owe my life to them,” she said.