Kiwi kept in coma

A Kiwi man living in Australia is in Melbourne Hospital with severe injuries after a water-sports outing on the Murray River went wrong. Brendon Demmocks, 31, was biscuiting with friends last weekend when he was flung towards a tree, his sister Samantha Venis told Fairfax. He hit the tree head first while his friends riding either side of him managed to get off before the crash. Demmocks was pulled on to the boat before passing out. The diesel mechanic, originally from Amberley in Canterbury, suffered multiple skull, neck and vertebrae fractures and brain bleeds and is in an induced coma because of the severity of the injuries.