Survivor: Heather Nankervis spreads the road safety message.
JOHN VAN KLAVEREN
HEATHER Nankervis is a positive person – no mean feat when you understand what she has endured.
Heather came within a hair’s breadth of losing her life in a collision just a minute or two from her South Geelong home.
The personal carer was returning from visiting her 99-year-old client in hospital when a car ran a stop sign.
“The driver of the other car simply got distracted picking cigarettes up off the floor and didn’t see me or the stop sign,” Heather said.
“There were no extenuating circumstances. Speed, alcohol or drugs were not a factor and the weather was normal.
“He simply got distracted.”
Heather was trapped in her car for 45 minutes while SES and CFA units cut her from the tangled wreck.
She was taken to Geelong Hospital but the severity of her injuries meant she was airlifted to Melbourne.
She underwent surgery to relieve bleeding on her brain and was in intensive care for two weeks.
Heather listed her injuries: a fractured temple; a broken chin, a broken shoulder; 11 broken ribs; a neck injury; facial lacerations; a collapsed lung; bleeding from the liver and kidneys; four fractures to her pelvis; and a broken hip.
Simply hearing the injury list alone is enough to wonder how she survived.
But despite her matter-of-fact retelling, Heather confessed the result of that split second error in judgement set off a life-changing chain of events.
“Apart from my physical disabilities, the most significant impact now is the psychological trauma,” she said.
“I witnessed so much tragedy during my recovery, especially during my time at The Alfred where I constantly saw people receiving news about loved ones being killed or permanently disabled.
“I saw the helicopter arriving daily delivering more maimed bodies.
“Every day the same carnage happens and every day families lives are shattered.”
The experience led Heather to become a volunteer for Road Trauma Support Services, speaking to young first-time driving offenders.
“My positive attitude helped get me through the dark days,” she said.
“I’m one of the lucky ones. I’m alive, so I value and enjoy every day.
“I hope I can show people by example that having a positive attitude can have enormous results.
“I want to help reduce the carnage on our roads. I feel I’m speaking for the people whose lives have been touched by road trauma and for the families who have lost loved ones.
“It’s not until you experience it that you understand the consequences.
“That’s why I want to do whatever I can to help someone avoid going through what I went through.”
