Lucky to be alive: Joe, Adam and Mary Serra at home with Adam’s motorcycle.
JOHN VAN KLAVEREN
“WE THOUGHT he was dead.”
With those emotion-charged words, Joe Serra choked as he recounted the moment he saw his motorcyclist son Adam hit a car and fall still on the road.
“I still relive it in my mind, over and over. I still don’t understand how he lived,” the Geelong finance guru and musician said.
“I can only thank the guardian angel that protected him. It’s a miracle he survived.”
Joe and wife Mary were both in the driveway of their Grovedale home at the time of the accident.
Mary heard the impact and screamed, knowing instantly what it meant.
Adam hadn’t ridden his motorbike for a while before deciding three weeks ago to put in a new battery to give the roadbike a quick run.
As he took off a car began a U-turn in his path. Neither had any margin for error.
Adam hit the brakes but was high-sided off the bike and slid across the bitumen in his T-shirt and jeans.
“It’s had quite an impact on the rest of the family and our friends. It’s very close to home,” Joe said.
The accident had a similar affect on the car driver.
“I spoke to him afterwards and he was really badly shaken up,” Joe said.
“He was so concerned about Adam, so I stayed in touch with him and let him know how Adam was doing.
“He told me he was having the same flashbacks as us. There’s no blame here but it’s been traumatic for all of us.”
Adam suffered two fractured ribs, bruised lungs and deep grazes to one side, a thigh and arms. His knees were skinned to the bone.
“He left a lot of skin and blood on the road but it looks like he’ll make a full recovery,” Joe said.
“Normally he wears full leathers and that would have made a lot of difference.”
Adam said he had been off work as a self-employed tiler, so he had taken a financial hit as well.
“It took a while to sink in but while I was in hospital I realised I could have died or been paralysed.
“It’s a weird feeling thinking about how serious it could have been and yet how fortunate I am.
“You realise how precious life is.”
• Shattered Lives is an Independent campaign to raise awareness of the region’s hidden road toll: the injured survivors, their families and others who deal with the aftermath of vehicle accidents.
