An Australian businessman fighting for his life during a business trip in the US is looking forward to a pepperoni pizza now that he finally gets the green light to fly home.
Grain Producers Australia (GPA) CEO Colin Bettles returns to Australia on Sunday after spending two weeks in a San Francisco hospital.
Mr Bettles, who previously worked as a media adviser to former Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack, was found seriously injured and unconscious during a solo work trip on July 4.
He was found with serious injuries to his head and eye socket and was rushed to hospital. San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center, where he spent five days in an induced coma.
After being made redundant last week, Mr Bettles booked a return flight to Sydney and said The Western Australian that he ‘can’t wait to go home’.
He thanked the “fantastic” hospital staff and his “fantastic” family and friends for their support and said he is now “slowly recovering”.
He added that he couldn’t remember much of what happened that night when he was out walking.
‘I have no good memories of anything, I absolutely can’t remember the incident… the only thing I have on my phone is a picture of a nice pepperoni pizza [from beforehand]“In those kinds of areas,” Mr. Bettles told the publication.
Grain Producers Australia CEO Colin Bettles (pictured during his work trip to the US before he was injured) is flying back to Australia on Sunday after spending weeks in a San Francisco hospital.
Mr Bettles’ friends initially claimed he had been beaten and robbed as he walked back to his hotel late that evening.
San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) officers who are “diligently” investigating the incident recently said they found no evidence of a crime.
“SFPD reviewed surveillance footage from the scene and found no evidence that Bettles was assaulted or the victim of a crime. He was in possession of his belongings at the hospital,” a statement provided to the publication said.
Mr Bettles was rushed to hospital on July 4 after sustaining serious injuries to his head and eye socket while out for a late-night solo walk
After friends and colleagues in Australia learned that Mr Bettles had been placed in an induced coma, GPA Council Chairman Barry Large sent him his best wishes.
“We’ve had a lot of people contact us after news broke of Colin’s injuries, which shows how much respect and care people have for him,” Large said.
‘And rightly so, Colin is a wonderful person and we hope this message provides some comfort.
‘We continue to support Colin and his family during his recovery and hope he can return to Australia soon.’
Mr Bettles (left) said he ‘can’t wait to get home’
Mr Bettles’ partner, who works in regional Australia with limited phone coverage, only noticed something was wrong when he didn’t get on a plane to New York.
She reportedly contacted Mr Bettles’ former employer and friend of 15 years, MP McCormack, who appointed him as his employer, who alerted the Foreign Office and Foreign Minister Penny Wong.
US authorities then tracked Mr Bettles down to his hospital bed, where he spent five days in intensive care.
It appears that Mr. Bettles was traveling alone, but was conducting business in his capacity as CEO of GPA.