August• 2017 | 39READER’S DIGESTIn a rescue operation that lasted
more than an hour and a half, emer-
gency services fixed a cable onto the
boom of the excavator to stabilise the
machine, and then winched it to lift
the weight off Daniel.
By the time it reached 5 cm above
his pelvis the pumps were begin-
ning to clog with mud, but there
was enough visibility to start digging
Daniel out. They cleared the mud
from underneath his legs then hauled
him out by his shoulders.
Daniel was hypothermic, com-
pletely caked in mud and his lungs
and ears were full of oil and diesel.
But he was euphoric. He was alive.S
aimaa was in Bondi seeing clients
when she noticed a missed call
from her neighbour Mel.I’ll call
back later,she thought. Then another
came from a second neighbour, Julie
Henry. Something must be wrong.
“Something’s happened to Daniel,”
Julie told Saimaa, who could tell by
her voice that it was serious.
When she learned what had hap-
pened, Saimaa remained calm. Daniel
had promised he would not die first.
She knew he would be OK.
Saimaa called her mother-in-
law and then spoke again with theneighbours Julie Henry and her hus-
band John Henry. It was as if the
whole community were working as
one. The kids were picked up and
taken to Mel’s next door, while Saimaa
jumped in her car to meet Daniel at
John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle.
Daniel spent three days in the
trauma ward. He had swelling in his
back and an infection from the fluids
he’d inhaled, but he was otherwise
unharmed. His back pain lasted sev-
eral weeks. Saimaa got her wish and
he started yoga to help release the
knots, and before long he was back to
work and surfing.
Looking back, the Millers see that
day as a positive experience. They
were overwhelmed by the dedica-
tion of their local community and the
emergency services.
“There is so much negativity in the
world at the moment, but this was a
story of believing in life and want-
ing to live,” says Saimaa. “It’s about
people helping each other. It’s about
mateship.”
Daniel feels like the luckiest man
alive. To survive in the dam was a
massive feat of endurance, and he was
victorious. He beat the odds.
And all because he promised
Saimaa he wouldn’t die first.GRAMMATICALLY FUNNYQuestion: Why do words, phrases and punctuation keep ending
up in court? Answer: To be sentenced.