- Mark Stockwell, 54, Bittern, Vic was headed home from his job driving trucks when disaster struck
- A wild storm sent a huge tree crashing into Mark’s car
- A rescue team of 20 responders from CFA, SES, Victoria Police, and Ambulance Victoria worked to remove the car’s roof and free Mark
Here Mark shares his story in his own words.
Fastening my seatbelt, I turned the keys in the ignition of my Toyota Aurion and peeled out of the car park.
It was August 2024, and at 3.20pm I was driving home after a long day behind the wheel as a truck driver delivering furniture across the Mornington Peninsula, Vic.
Winds whipped the pine trees outside, and I was eager to get home and out of the wild weather.
Dialling my wife Kirstie’s number on hands-free, I filled her in about my day.
Our son Sam, then 12, was at home with Kirstie and I’d planned see him there. As she works nights at Woolworths, Kirstie and I often used my drive home to catch up.
‘It’s really wild out here,’ I told her, as a pine cone flew across my windscreen like a bullet.
A pinecone flew across my windscreen like a bullet
‘You should pull over,’ she replied, worried. ‘I saw there’s an emergency weather warning out.’
With just five minutes left of my journey, I decided to push on with the drive and get out of harm’s way.
As I opened my mouth to fill Kirstie in on my plan, my vision suddenly went white.
Still gripping the steering wheel, I realised the car wasn’t moving. It was then I understood that my airbag had gone off.
I must have been in an accident and momentarily blacked out, I thought, in shock.
Through my confusion, I could hear a noise from the floor of the car.
‘Mark, Mark, are you alright?’ I heard Kirstie’s voice shouted from the phone.
The hands-free had disconnected in the accident. But I couldn’t answer as searing pain flooded my neck and lower back, and I couldn’t feel my right leg, which was crushed by the steering wheel and dashboard.
Overcome with the pain, I passed out.
When I opened my eyes, a man in a Country Fire Authority (CFA) uniform was behind the front passenger seat.
He introduced himself as Jonno.
‘You’ve been in an accident. A pine tree has fallen on your car,’ he explained, pressing a hand to my forehead. ‘I’m just stabilising your spine while we get you out of here.’
Through the haze of shattered glass and branches, I saw other volunteers in yellow uniforms around my car.
‘Thank you,’ I managed to slur. I felt like I was in a dream.
The grinding sound and smell of steel on steel filled the air, as a rescue team of 20 responders from CFA, SES, Victoria Police, and Ambulance Victoria worked to remove the car’s roof, which had caved in.
Someone had picked up my phone and was talking to Kirstie.
As I faded in and out of consciousness, I prayed that I’d make it out and back to my family.
Later that evening, I woke in The Alfred Hospital, machines humming around me.
Neck stiff, I realised my head was in a brace, and my legs were bandaged. Thanks to the drip in my arm, I was mercifully pain-free.
Minutes later, Kirstie was there by my side, and I was overwhelmed with a calm energy.
‘I’m so glad you’re alive,’ she said, clutching my hand as she filled me in on what had happened.
A woman driving behind me had seen a towering tree fall on my car and called emergency services.
The tree trunk, as wide as the car’s bonnet, had crumpled the vehicle like paper. It was a miracle I’d survived.
Responders had battled the howling winds for 90 minutes to free me, while watching for the possibility of another tree falling.
I can’t believe they risked their lives for me, I thought, eternally grateful.
‘Because of where the tree fell, you were almost scalped by the branches when they hit your forehead,’ my doctor said.
You were almost scalped by the branches when they hit your forehead
A pin was put through my broken femur to hold the bone in place ahead of further surgery.
I had a fractured sternum and hip, and a broken tibia and fibula.
X-rays revealed I’d also broken the C5, C6 and C7 vertebrae in my neck.
The following morning, I was wheeled into theatre for surgery on my right leg.
The femur was broken in three places.
Afterward, Sam came to visit me. ‘I’m so glad you’re alive,’ he said.
‘I’m not going anywhere,’ I assured him.
After two weeks in hospital, I finally returned home in a wheelchair.
Kirstie helped me eat, dress and shower while I recovered.
Family and friends brought meals and donated money to help while I couldn’t work.
And my neighbours kindly mowed my lawn.
After 12 weeks of bed rest, I started physio and hydrotherapy.
Now, I’m walking with the help of a crutch.
In January, I was overjoyed to meet Jonno and the other volunteers who came to my rescue.
Kirstie and Sam, now 13, joined me at an emotional reunion at the Hastings Fire Station.
‘Because of you, I get to see my son hit his milestones, and celebrate wedding anniversaries with my wife,’ I told them tearfully. ‘Words can’t express how grateful I am.’
Eight months on from my car accident, I’m getting stronger every day, and I hope to be back behind the wheel by the end of the year.
And if I’m ever caught in bad weather again, I’ve learned to pull over somewhere safe and wait for it to pass.
Fighting mother nature just isn’t worth the risk.
