Cynthia meets her saviour
A car crash victim finally got the opportunity to thank the man whose quick actions potentially saved her from being electrocuted 18 months ago.
Richard Hay, who works for Netcon as a faultman, agreed to meet Cynthia Bailey this week after it was reported she was keen to meet her saviour but was not sure who he was or where to find him. One of Hay’s colleagues read her story in The Timaru Herald and made contact, enabling a meeting between the pair to be arranged.
They met at Bailey’s home and shook hands before she expressed her gratitude for his help, more than a year-and-a-half after the crash on Wilson St.
As a former St John medic, Bailey said she appreciated how important Hay’s role had been in making the crash site safe.
Hay said it seemed like it only yesterday he witnessed the crash which left Bailey injured.
As he travelled south on Wilson St on June 27, 2018, he said the driver of a Falcon performed a swift U-turn. The Falcon had been hit by a Subaru after its driver suffered a medical event. The Subaru then smashed into a parked car propelling it into Bailey who was on her mobility scooter.
As the car lurched forward it
‘‘I don’t know how you survived it.’’
Rescuer Richard Hay to accident victim Cynthia Bailey
broke a concrete power pole.
Hay was concerned the pole could collapse at any time and immediately phoned Netcon control to get the power turned off.
He said he was concerned about leakage from the high voltage wires and wanted to prevent Bailey, who was under the back of the car, or anyone who approached her to help from getting a shock.
Hay, who was the first on the scene, rushed to Bailey to assist her with his work first aid kit once he knew the power had been cut. She smiled back at him during a moment of consciousness, he said.
‘‘I don’t know how you survived it actually,’’ he told Bailey.
Although she has little memory of the incident, Bailey does recall being stuck under the car and Hay being the first person to help her.
Other members of the public then helped get her out.
‘‘I’m just pleased Cynthia is well,’’ Hay said.
Bailey spent six weeks in Burwood Hospital in Christchurch with a fractured skull, brain bleed and severe bruising, three weeks in
Timaru Hospital’s Assessment, Treatment and Rehabilitation ward and then five months at Radius Elloughton Gardens for respite care.
She was also amazed that she got away from the crash with a fractured skull and bruises but no broken bones.
‘‘If not for you it could have been a lot worse,’’ she told Hay.
He responded that he was just carrying out his duty.
‘‘And I’m extremely grateful for that,’’ she said.
Hay showed Bailey some photos of the crash scene, which she said invoked no emotion beyond the shock that she had not been more badly injured.
‘‘It’s like looking at someone else’s accident,’’ she said.
The photos and Hay’s explanation of what he saw that day had helped Bailey to better understand what had happened.
Bailey said she felt their most recent encounter had been healing for both of them.
‘‘I was pleased I could actually say ‘thank you’. Often people do things and you don’t hear anything. It’s nice to say it to him personally.’’