Burnett local paper this week

 

A weekend out riding with the girls on their Harley Davidsons ended tragically on Sunday for one of the riders.

Around 11am a 24-year-old Bundaberg woman was seriously injured after being thrown from her motorcycle on the Isis Highway near the Dallarnil cemetery and suffered major head injuries.

Biggenden Police along with QAS from Biggenden and Childers and Biggenden Fire & Rescue attended the accident. The Isis Highway was closed for four hours.

Initial investigations suggest she lost control of her motorcycle when she hit a pothole and loose gravel on a straight stretch of road.

Landing heavily on the roadway her bike ended up about 50m away in a grassy field.

The young woman was riding from Mundubbera to Bundaberg with a group of female friends when the accident happened.

Hazel Burscough, a Childers’ based psychologist who also has clients in Biggenden and Eidsvold was one of the riders.

Ms Burscough was riding in front of the victim and fought to control her Harley Davidson after hitting the large pothole in a gravel stretch of road near Dallarnil.

“My handle bars are bent right down and I’m bruised and swollen,” Ms Burscough said.

“Somehow I managed to gradually bring the bike to a stop safely.

“My friend was following me and didn't stand a chance being so little and lower down to the ground.”

Ms Burscough said the group rode regularly together and were all experienced riders who have ridden all over Australia in the last four years.

Nicolle Harris from Gladstone was riding behind Jess.

“She hit the pothole which had a big upramp that launched her into the air,” Mrs Harris said.

“I saw her in the air and nothing more until the dust cleared which is when I realized she was in serious trouble.”

Although about 90 minutes passed before the AGL helicopter arrived, help was on hand very quickly.

“Passersby stopped and erected a tarp, a nurse was on the phone to paramedics and people brought us water but Jess was non-responsive,” Ms Burscough said.

The victim’s mother was also on the ride and accompanied her in the helicopter to Brisbane.

While at the scene the riders spoke to locals who were angry about the road.

“They said the road had been in this condition for three weeks and weren’t surprised that there had been an accident,” Ms Burscough said.

The victim has broken bones in her neck and is an induced coma.

Her condition can’t be fully accessed until the swelling in her head subsides.

The Forensic Crash Unit is investigating.

No comment from Queensland Transport has yet been received but repairs have been carried out on the potholed highway

 

This was our weekend away, my mate hit a pot hole and is now in brisbane royal in ICU in an induced coma with no definate future.

all because of poor signage and road works that were unfinished after 3 bloody weeks... all it needed was to be bitumened. 

 

There were 13 of us and we are all prsying she will make it.

What do we need to do to get these bloody roads fixed!!

Geez I really hope Jess comes through OK ... I hate hearing stories like this.

Queensland roads are some of the worst roads I have seen and that was before the floods.

All the Best
Simmo

Hope she improves, awful stuff.

No comment from Queensland Transport has yet been received but repairs have been carried out on the potholed highway It's bit bloody late after an accident. And Scouser you are 100% correct. After going to Tassie and seeing their roads you have to wonder where the hell the money goes. Patchup after Patchup jobs here. The suspension businesses must be doping a roaring trade in Adelaide.

I hope she comes through ok. 

I made a comment the other week about parts of the great ocean road , being full of potholes , in some cases the road was rising in the middle on bends. disgracful. Hope this lady gets better

rode to Biloela awhile ago with some friends and she was along for this ride , she can ride !!! , hope she pulls through ok

Now days to fix a pothole the seem to draw a circle around it with paint - to help drivers avoid it. What a pack of a-holes.

Geez thats bad news. Hope the young lady pulls through ok. Seems crook roads are in plague proportions in this country. Only good thing about NSW roads is that we have an election soon, and we can can even with the rotten bastard polies that let this shit happen!!! my 2 cents!

Very sorry to hear about your friend! I hope all's well. Just a sobering reminder that we need to be on our guard.

Best wishes and for a speedy recovery

Gday Skin
We think they were doing about 70-80 when they hit the dirt, once they hit the dirt i dont think they would have slowed too much more.
As for more spacing, usually we ride very close, however only 3 out of 13 of us rode through it, so it was very lucky we were spaced out, otherwise it would have been a lot worse.
It was very lucky that the first lady kept her bike upright, otherwise there would have been 3 down. The first lady stuffed her handle bars, and when you see her marks she only just got the bike back upright. by the time they stopped, Jess had already come off, they just thought it was their luggage on the road, thats how quick everything happened.
As for Jess, she didn't have any rubber marks once the fatty landed, it was all scrapes. It actually looked like it landed on its rear gaurd, bot noone knows, noone could see through the dust when it was happening.
We are all going for a catch up at Gin Gin today to have a talk and put a few things together to try and figure out exactly what has happened.

Terrible, terrible news. It makes you realise just how vunerable we all are. Many of us have got away from hitting potholes by the skin of our teeth. Those in power take extra money from the motorcyclist, but obviously don't appreciate the need to re-invest it into the roads for OUR safety. I wish everyone involved all the very best & a speedy & safe recovery.

I totally agree with scouser. We will keep praying for u Jess till you come back!

our thoughts are with her...hope she recovers well.

fangio & sandi

Any news on your friends recovery?

All the best Jess, heal fast, all of us sitting here reading this terrible piece about the roads, squirming in our seats, thinking who is next.
I wonder if that road would be fixed already if it was the premiers daughter that came off.
If the premiers daughter road a bike all the roads would be great already - Fckn pollies piece of crap - flying around in a helicopter - why don't you spend our tax $$ on what we want and need instead off setting up new jobs in a new department that we don't need for your mates.
I hate pollies - they will vote themselves a pay rise in NSW after the election.

the latest update is:
she is out of ICU and in the neurology ward,
she hasnt come out of the coma yet, its been 7 days now since they stopped all the medication for the induced coma.
We are all still holding hope and praying that she will improve.
Jess is breathing by herself now so there is still hope.
They did say it is severe brain trauma and she has opened her eyes (more of a nerves thing i think from what i have been told)
it is 2 weeks today so lets keep praying
regards
Charls

Thanks for the heads up. Thinking of you Jess and hoping you'll soon get  the chance to read these messages and see how many people care. That's all of us!

Horrible news, my best wishes for her full recovery.

Charls87 I'm praying now for Jess.