Tomerong’s Trista Kyriacou does not remember much from her truck rollover near Myrtle Gully, but knows there were many good Samaritans who rescued her.
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Mrs Kyriacou was northbound on the Princes Highway about 9.20am on Friday, January 4, when the truck she was driving rolled just north of Myrtle Gully bridge.
The truck landed on its right side and came to rest across the northbound lane with a shattered windscreen and damaged door and roof frame.
Emergency services responded and Mrs Kyriacou was taken to Shoalhaven Hospital. When they arrived they found Mrs Kyriacou sitting on a lawn chair nearby, Trista’s mother Shell Thorpe said.
“Police told me that he was surprised to find her sitting in a lawn chair on the side of the road. It wouldn’t normally be what he’d find at an accident scene like that,” Mrs Thorpe said.
Mrs Kyriacou, who can’t remember anything from when the back end of the truck began to slide out to when she arrived at hospital, suffered bruising to the whole right side of her body, lacerations “everywhere”, concussion, a fractured elbow and shoulder, possibly fractured jaw and was awaiting scans to see if her hips were displaced.
She said the injuries were painful, but she was optimistic about her recovery and wanting to return to work.
“It’s a bit rough, but you know I could be worse off, I can’t really complain,” Mrs Kyriacou told the Times.
“I should be fine. I don’t think there’s any long-term injuries.
“It’s hard to stop me. I’m not used to sitting around.”
Mrs Kyriacou wanted to praise the first responders and emergency service workers for pulling her out of the truck and ensuring medical help was imminent.
“When I came to there was a lot of people helping me, it’s really nice to know people care and want to help,” Mrs Kyriacou said.
“I’m sure it would have been pretty traumatic for them to have to see somebody in that state. I was obviously unconscious and they had to drag me out so it was probably terrifying for them to see somebody in that state.”
Mrs Thorpe said it was horrible to receive a call about her daughter being involved in an accident and confronting to see the damage the truck incurred.
She said she will be eternally grateful for the actions of those at the scene, including Milton doctor Ruth Meyers and the two men who pulled her daughter from the truck.
