“I had a 20 percent chance of surviving apparently. It was that close. I was lying there under the tractor thinking… ‘Maybe this is it’” said rural farmer Peter, reflecting on his accident in late 2023.

Peter was living out in the country, in rural Mangakino. On a cold and blustery day, he went to feed out silage on their remote farm. He had told his partner Judith, ‘I’ll only be an hour.’

However, a short while later, the silage wagon he was towing got stuck in mud and then caught on a gate. Peter turned and tried to unhook the wagon and get it loose.

But as he did, the tractor slid…

“How I got from looking down to upside down, I don’t know. The next part I remember is the tractor had landed on my pelvis. I was looking up at it, lying on the track, and the tractor is having a lie down on me.”

Somehow, the tractor must’ve thrown Peter down a short incline, fallen and landed right on top of him - crushing his pelvis. Alone and far away from any help - Peter tried to dig himself out from under the tractor, gouging his fingers into the thick, muddy clay.

But his hips had been severely crushed by the heavy tractor. There was simply no way Peter could get out from under that tractor alone.

So, as time went by, Peter grew steadily colder and lost all feeling in his legs and hands. One hour became two…

Two hours became three…

And Peter remembers thinking,

“My son was expecting twins in January. There I was, lying under this *** tractor thinking, I’ve got to stay alive to see me grandkids.”

When Peter didn’t come back for lunch, Judith became increasingly worried. She decided to go find him - following Peter’s tractor tracks in the mud.

When she discovered Peter under the tractor, Judith was horrified. Peter had been trapped under there for hours. She raced back up the hill to get cell phone reception and dialled 111 for help.

Thanks to amazing supporters, the rescue helicopter was able to take flight - and arrive on the scene a few minutes later.

“We got there just in time. It was an absolute team effort to get Peter to where we wanted him to be” says Critical Care Flight Paramedic Rob.

As you might know, there are lots of things that can go wrong with a crush accident. Peter had dangerously low blood pressure, oxygen levels and body temp, and was in grave danger.

But thanks to the swift arrival of the rescue helicopter and its highly trained crew, Peter had a chance… A fighting chance. And when Peter woke up later, in hospital - he says,

“I remember thinking, Oh, well that’s good. I’ve made it. It was close. What your boys and girls have done in the rescue helicopter, I’m eternally grateful for it.”

It was a long recovery in hospital, but Peter worked hard in rehab - and even managed to walk out of hospital on his own two feet!

Eventually meeting the rescue helicopter crew who saved his life that day.

Imagine... a loved one in desperate need of urgent medical help. In that critical moment, the Aerocool Rescue Helicopter is their lifeline. Donate now and save a life > https://give.rescue.org.nz/event/aerocool-rescue-helicopter/donate

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