Hi my name is Teghan and I am the daughter of Michael Shelton, better known as Mick. My dad has been a truck driver for the last 30years. He was in a horrific trucking accident in Berrima at 3:42am on the 8th of January due to no fault of his own. Going the speed limit of 100km/hr before hitting a stationary truck that was in the middle of the lane, with no lights on. My dad managed to swerve enough to save himself, only by inches. My dad was awake the entire time he was trapped in his truck. 90minutes of agony, thinking when will it be over. Whilst he was awake, he was supported by a fellow truck driver who witnessed the entire thing, standing at his side, supporting him, calling the air care and first responders to the scene. We will be forever grateful for the paramedics and first responders who removed my dad from the truck where he then required resuscitation, ultimately saving my dad’s life that morning. He was then air lifted to liverpool hospital.

My dad’s accident resulted in shattered ribs requiring an extensive surgery to stabilise his chest with metal plates as he had multiple fractures to each of his 10ribs and his cracked sternum. The surgeon and anaesthetist reported that he was very lucky to have survived the accident. He also required 12 staples in his head for a large laceration, as well as torn muscles in his shoulder. He was on life support and an induced coma for 4 days, until they could stabilise his chest and keep his pain under control. But the physical injuries aren’t the only thing my dad will suffer with. This was a traumatic experience. Something my dad will have to live with for the rest of his life. My dad will have 8months of physical recovery, but in terms of his mental recovery, we don’t know if my dad will ever be able to get behind the wheel of a truck ever again. My dad is lucky to be alive today. He is so incredibly loved by his family, colleagues and close friends. He is a loving father and grandfather, as well as a husband. I wanted to do a go-fund me to help relieve financial pressure from my dad and my mum. My mum will need to stay home and care for him while he recovers, all while having to pay a mortgage.

If you can donate anything, it will not go unappreciated. When my dad comes home from the hospital, I want him to feel the relief of not having to worry about providing, to only focus on healing. This will also help my mum to have the financial support they are going to need during this long road to recovery.