Yokine, Perth: Worker who plummeted seven metres after a cherry picker toppled over while he was trimming trees reveals he will have to learn to walk again
A young municipal worker who fell seven metres after a cherry picker fell over has had to learn to walk again after breaking several bones in the fall.
Brodee Hinchley, 22, was pruning trees in Yokine in Perth’s northeast last month when the crane lost its balance and fell to the ground.
Mr Hinchley described the terrifying moment, which was captured on CCTV.
The video shows the 22-year-old landing on the other side of the road as the machine narrowly avoids a parked car.
“I remember holding myself and thinking, scratch, scratch, scratch,” he told 7News.
As a result of the fall, Mr Hinchley suffered a broken spine, broken pelvis, arm, ribs, ankle and a collapsed lung.
He said his terrified colleagues who rushed to his aid “thought they were going to watch me take my last breath.”
Mr Hinchley was rushed to Royal Perth Hospital where he remained for two weeks. He spent one week in the trauma unit recovering.
Brodee Hinchley, 22, broke several bones when he fell from a cherry picker last month
Mr Hinchley was pruning trees for the council when the terrible accident occurred
“It was like a movie. . . you look up and there are doctors all around you (but) they’re just focused on keeping you alive,” Mr Hinchley said of his arrival at the hospital.
“They had to operate, so what they did was put screws in my butt and put a cage where my pubic bone is.”
Miraculously, Mr Hinchley has found a silver lining.
“Given the injuries, I’m not paralyzed and I’m not dead,” he said. “(But) as a supervisor, I’m just glad it was me and not them.”
Orthopaedic surgeon Sam Young said Mr Hinchley was “extremely lucky”.
“It could very well have ended differently, but he could very well have suffered life-threatening injuries,” said Dr. Young.
Injuries Mr Hinchley sustained from the fall included a broken pelvis and a broken spine
Mr Hinchley said his shocked colleagues thought he had breathed his last
A spokesman for the City of Stirling confirmed after the accident that Mr Hinchley was contracted to work for the council.
“The municipality is aware of an incident involving a contractor earlier today,” he said.
‘The municipality understands that the person concerned is receiving medical care.’
WorkSafe has been notified and is investigating the incident.