44 | October• 2018
“FIND MY SON”
andhiddenfromtheroadabovehim,
it felt as if he’d never been there.EERIE SILENCE
Sunday morning came and went at the
Lethbridge house as theirst worries
started to niggle at Megan and Luke.
Where was Sam?heir calls and texts
were going unanswered. When Sam’s
girlfriend reported that he’d stood her
up for their midday
meeting, they knew
something was
wrong.
The tempera-
ture outside was
a steamy 35°C. By
6pm, Megan de-
cided to call their
parents. Everyone
knew Sam would
never go this long
without contacting someone.
Leigh and Tony immediately started
calling Sam’s number. he phone rang
out. hey kept trying until after four
hours it went dead. Meanwhile Sam’s
friends were retracing his steps, driv-
ing up and down the highway, not
realising they were just metres from
where he lay injured below.
Luke and Megan drove up and
down the road all evening. hey were
getting increasingly distressed, calling
Sam again and again and racking their
brains for what more they could do.
By 9pm, Leigh and Tony couldn’t
bear to be in Canberra any longer.
They packed up the car and startedin sight. Sam was getting really tired
now. He slowed down as he entered
an 80km/h zone, the A43 Doyalson
toBelmontstretch,hisbrighthead-
lights cutting through the blackness
ofthemeanderingroadashestrug-
gledtokeephiseyesopen.
Just a few metres past the area’s
famous Big Prawn tourist attraction,
and still travelling at the speed limit,
sleep overcame
him.Heveered
off the side of the
road, sideswiping a
large concrete pole
that ripped off the
driver’s door before
plunging down the
embankment. The
airbags exploded
as the car spun
around, rolled twice
and plummeted down the steep slope,
inally coming to a rest, right side up,
20 metres below the road.
Stillness quickly descended on the
inky night.he dense bush had com-
pletelyswallowedthecar.herewere
no skid marks, no sign that the trees
hadbeendisturbed.Nothingtoindi-
catethatacarhadgoneoftheroad.
Astherainpatteredsoftly,Samwas
uprightinhisseat,hislegspinned
underthedashboard.Hiselbow
andlegwereseriouslyinjuredanda
heavyknocktotheheadhadlefthim
drifting in and out of consciousness.
Hisphonewassomewhereonthe
loor of the car. Bleeding and in pain
LYING THERE
TRAPPED AND
UNABLE TO MOVE,
SAM ENDURED
THE PAIN AND THE
JANUARY HEAT