2018-10-01_Reader_s_Digest_AUNZ

October• 2018 | 49

READER’S DIGEST

base of the collarbone, an open frac-
ture and dislocation of his right el-
bow,andsixbleedsonthebrain.He
wasbadlydehydratedandatriskof
catastrophic infection or bleeding.
Buthewasalive.
Today, Sam has no memory of the
crash or the 29 hours he spent trapped
in his new car. He doesn’t remember
his four days in intensive care or much

about the six surgeries he underwent

over the following few weeks, under

the amazing care of the trauma team

at John Hunter Hospital.

Skyline Aviation returned the

$1000 to Tony and Leigh the day after

they returned to pay them. To have

foundSamalivewithineightminutes

ofbecomingairbornewaswhatmat-

tered.Andthefamilywouldneedthe

moneyformedicalexpenses.

So many things came together to

keep Sam alive that day. He didn’t

hit the concrete pole head on. He

hadbeendrinkingalotofwater

before the crash, which helped

with the dehydration, and his fit-

ness had given him the strength to

survive through those long hours in

the bush.

And,thecarhadlandedonits

wheels, meaning its white roof could

be spotted from the air.

Sam knows how lucky he was and

that he may well have not been found

intime,haditnotbeenfortheperse-

veranceofthreefatherslooking for a

missing teenage boy.

MAFIA PIZZAS GO DOWN BADLY

European Union judges failed to see the funny side of brand-

ing a chain of pizzerias as ‘The Mafia’, rejecting an appeal by

a Spanish company. The judges said it was not right to grant

legal protection to the slogan ‘La Mafia se sienta a la mesa’

(The Mafia’s at the table) because it ‘promoted’ an organisation

known for extortion, corruption and murder.REUTERS

Sam underwent six operations

in just a few weeks