Family, mates mourn Nathan
A DEVASTATED Gold Coast family are struggling to come to terms with life without a beloved father-of-three who died in a tragic accident.
Construction worker Nathan Vogel was found lying injured on Lower Gold Coast Hwy about 1.45am last Sunday by a passer-by, who alerted paramedics.
The 36-year-old was rushed to the Gold Coast University Hospital, but after several days in intensive care, lost his fight for life.
The exact circumstances of the accident remain unclear, but Mr Vogel was riding his bike home when he is believed to have fell, been knocked unconscious and suffered a blocked airway.
Mr Vogel’s younger sister Sigrid Vogel, 30, yesterday said his wife Ashleigh wanted to highlight the need for helmets when bike riding, no matter what.
“She wants to stress how important it is to wear a helmet, at any age on push bikes so that we may save a few lives for whoever reads it,” Sigrid said, adding her brother was a “beautiful soul”.
Nathan’s father, Vogel, said it was David unclear how long he had been on the ground before being discovered, but he was resuscitated and survived 72 hours on life support.
Mr Vogel and his partner Trina Oates, Nathan’s stepmum, rushed to his side, as did Nathan’s mother Tracey Vogel and her partner Phil McKee, who hurried back from a Tasmanian holiday.
The family said in hospital he had little physical sign of injury other than a cut to his head and grazed knuckles.
Sigrid Vogel said her brother looked peaceful.
“It wasn’t like he got hit by a car or anything, he looked beautiful … You just kept thinking ‘he’s going to pull through’,” she said.
Ms Vogel said her son, who grew up in country Victoria before the family moved to the Gold Coast in 1996, had a large circle of friends.
She said his mates all came to his hospital room to watch the second State of Origin match with him in intensive care.
“He’s going to be a massive loss to his family and friends. He was very well liked,” she said.
“Don’t get me wrong, he was a larrikin as well, loved a beverage and never really slowed down.”
A fundraising page has been set up to help support Mr Vogel’s wife and three sons, Travin, 9, Harley, 5 and Cash, 2.
So far about $8000 of a $10,000 target has been raised, but the support for the young family hasn’t just been financial.
The Burleigh Bears junior rugby league team of son Travin all wore black armbands at their match on Saturday.
Brisbane Broncos star Alex Glenn, whose partner is Sigrid’s best friend, pointed to the sky in tribute when he scored in Saturday’s win against the Canberra Raiders.
Mr Vogel, whose organs have been donated to five recipients, will be farewelled at a funeral service at 11am this Wednesday, at Allambe Gardens on Nerang-Broadbeach Rd.
Donations to the family can be made online at www.chuffed.org/project/ supporting-the-vogels.