- While camping with mates, Andrew Owen, 47, from Narre Warren, Vic, survived a terrifying freak accident.
- Drifting off to sleep, Andrew heard an earth-shattering crack, followed by an almighty bang when a nearby tree snapped and fell.
- Crushed inside his camp swag, Andrew is lucky to be alive.
Here Andrew tells his story in his own words.
Wriggling down in my swag, I rolled onto my stomach.
It was August 2018 and I was camping at Big River, Victoria, with 14 mates for a friend’s bucks’ weekend.
We’d found a great spot on a flat parcel of land that was big enough for all of us to camp near our cars.
There weren’t many trees around, besides some huge ghost gums on the other side of the river around 20 metres away from us.
So I’d set up my swag next to my 4WD, which gave me some shade and privacy.
‘What just happened?’
After a great day spent four-wheel driving and exploring, we shared beers sitting around the crackling fire.
Around 12.30am I decided to call it a night and headed to bed.
I was just drifting off, lying on my stomach, when I heard an earth-shattering crack, followed by an almighty bang.
Then my whole world went black…
Drifting in and out of consciousness, I realised my swag had collapsed, enveloping me like plastic wrap as my body writhed in agony.
What just happened? my mind raced, as I fought to move.
But something heavy was pinning me face-down.
Chaos erupted around me as my mates scrambled towards the opening of my swag.
They tried to explain what had just happened, but drifting in and out of consciousness I struggled to comprehend that my car and swag had been crushed by a gumtree.
It’d smashed my head on impact, leaving me bleeding profusely from the back of my skull.
Completely trapped, I couldn’t do a damn thing.
‘He can’t be alive.’
It was like I was being held hostage inside my swag.
My mates desperately tried to free me, but they were no match for the 30-metre tall and 1.5-metre wide ghost gum.
Thankfully, one of them had brought along a chainsaw, which they used to cut the trunk into smaller pieces.
Half an hour later, after moving the tree piece by piece, they managed to rip open my swag and pull me to safety.
‘He can’t be alive,’ I heard mumbled voices say as blood poured on the ground around me.
I couldn’t believe it either. But all I could think of was my wife, Cassandra, and our kids back home, Shertahnie, then 11, Caleb, five, Renae, three, and our two-week-old baby Lucas.
READ MORE: ‘I Was Crushed By A Car’
I need to hold on for them, I vowed to myself.
But the drama was far from over, as I discovered that two of my friends had also been struck by the tree’s branches.
They were alive, but in bad shape.
It was chaos as the three of us were loaded into a car to be taken to meet an ambulance, after one member of the group had driven towards town to find enough reception to call for help.
In the back seat, I drifted in and out.
The next thing I knew, a paramedic was cutting off my shirt as the cold air hit my chest, before I was raced to The Royal Melbourne Hospital.
‘I need to hold on for them.’
When I came to the next morning, my brother Steven, good mate Paul and Cassandra were right beside me.
‘You’re lucky to be alive,’ Steven said, recounting how the tree had flattened my car like a pancake.
The 4WD had taken the brunt of the gigantic tree’s weight, ultimately saving my life.
I’d broken nine ribs on my right side, shattered my collarbone, fractured my skull, shoulder and tibia, had a bruised and swollen heart, and two crushed discs at the top of my spine.
I needed 39 stitches to close the hole in the back of my head and another 12 in my forehead.
READ MORE: ‘Aussie toddler crushed by LandCruiser at campground’
I couldn’t believe it – I’d cheated death.
Cassandra was distraught at the sight of my battered body.
‘I’m so glad you’re alive,’ she said.
When my mates came to visit, I thanked them for saving my life.
They also kept me updated on how the other blokes that’d been injured were faring.
With 36 broken bones between us, we needed multiple surgeries.
‘I’m so glad you’re alive.’
During one op I had two metal plates placed in my ribs to help them heal.
But thanks to the amazing care of the medical staff, and Cassandra, I was back on my feet after three months.
Unfortunately, being a tradesman and due to my injuries, I’d never be able to return to work in my original capacity.
A few mates and I went back to the site to inspect the tree that nearly took my life.
Recent flooding had made the root system unstable and, despite there being no wind that night, in a freak accident, the tree snapped at its base.
READ MORE: ‘Freak farm accident: Aussie Grandpa crushed by cattle feed’
Seven years on, I still suffer nerve pain, migraines and body aches from being crushed, and some mental trauma from the stress of the incident.
But I am so lucky to be here with Cassandra and the kids, now 18, 12, 10, and seven.
I’ve been camping a few times since, but still suffer from PTSD.
Looking back, I can’t thank my beautiful wife enough.
With a newborn baby and three kids in tow, she cared for me when I needed her most.
And I’m so thankful for my mates who saved my life.
They’re my heroes.
Cassandra, 38, says:
I remember the morning of the accident.
I woke the kids up at 6am to let them know Daddy was hurt. Caleb asked, ‘Is he okay?’ I replied, ‘I don’t know buddy.’
I brought them to the hospital when Andrew was feeling better.
Once Andrew was home, it was hard to juggle everyone and I leant on my family a lot.
Andrew is still struggling from the accident but I am so grateful that he is here with our family.
