A surfing trip with mates ends in a lifesaving rescue

Jacks journey to recovery after a surfing accident

It was a summer morning like any other when 29-year-old Jack headed out for a surf that left him with severe spinal injuries and temporarily paralysed. Within the year he would make an extraordinary recovery, learning how to walk again and preparing for his wedding in December 2022.

A couple of days before New Year’s Eve in 2021, Jack woke up at sunrise to make the hour-and-a-half drive to Lancelin with his two good mates Sean and Adam. Jack, a physical education teacher, had planned to leave the beach town about 11am and drive back to Perth to spend the afternoon with his fiancée, primary school teacher Stephanie. The trio arrived at the popular surfing spot Back Beach around 7am and spent the morning catching waves. As a set rolled in, Sean and Adam caught a wave together and Jack followed on the next one. As Jack went to stand up on the board, his foot slipped, changing everything in a split second.

Left to right: Adam, Jack and Sean

Falling headfirst into a sandbank, he was face down in the water and unable to feel anything or move his body and realised immediately he had a spinal injury. After recovering from the initial shock and dizziness, Jack remembers quickly running out of breath and unsuccessfully trying to use his head to flip over. The 20 seconds it took for Sean and Adam to swim out felt like minutes, getting to him just in time before losing consciousness. With Adam supporting Jack’s neck and Sean holding his legs and blocking the waves, they got him to the edge of the beach. Other beachgoers helped to pull Jack on to the sand and called triple zero for help.

The local St John Ambulance crew were first to arrive on scene, confirming his injuries were too serious to be transported by road. The RAC Rescue Helicopter was dispatched to quickly get him to a trauma hospital. The RAC Rescue Helicopter landed nearby and Jack was carefully treated by the Critical Care Paramedic and transferred to the cabin. During the flight to Royal Perth Hospital the crew called Stephanie and explained what was happening and what hospital they were going to. The crew put Steph on the phone and let her talk to Jack.

“Every step of the way, the first responders did an amazing job and we can’t thank them enough,” Jack said.

The RAC Rescue Helicopter landed at Royal Perth Hospital and instead of jumping in the car to drive home as planned, at around 11am Jack was met by a trauma team on the rooftop heliport. Medical experts confirmed Jack had a cervical spinal cord injury, the most severe of all spinal cord injuries, and had fractured his C3 and C4 vertebrae near the base of the neck.

Jack spent seven days in the Intensive Care Unit before being moved to the Spinal Ward on 14 January where he underwent surgery for a spinal fusion, a technique that joins vertebrae together, and a laminectomy that enlarges the spinal canal to relieve pressure on the spinal cord or nerves. Steph continued to visit him in hospital every day.

On 24 January, Jack was transferred to Fiona Stanley Rehabilitation Centre where physiotherapists helped him learn how to walk again, strengthen his limbs and create flexibility. With the support of occupational therapists Jack also began to regain movement in his hands and to strengthen his grip. Four and a half months after the accident, Jack came home, continuing to spend five days a week in physiotherapy and occupational therapy.

“The hardest part was not knowing how quick Jack’s recovery would be,” Steph said.

Reflecting on his recovery, Jack said the first month was the most challenging. “Laying in a bed, not being able to feel or move anything, not knowing what the future held.”

“Every spinal injury is different, and no one recovers the same. It is hard to judge or know how much movement I will get back.” When asked for his advice to others going through recovery, he said, “take the small wins every day -be patient and don’t give up. Every day is a new day.”

Jack with his partner Steph during his recovery

The RAC Rescue helicopters provide vital search and rescue critical care medical services to the WA community. They are funded by the State Government, managed by the Department of Fire and Emergency Services and sponsored by RAC.