Zach's Story - Snells Beach

Unfortunately, accidents can happen at any time. Sadly, forZach, it would take one shift of the wind’s direction for the 17-year-old’s fortunes to change. Zach, together with his mum Chrissy and dad Kurt, was in Snells Beach celebrating a friend’s 50^th birthday. As the night cooled, afire was lit in a drum. Zach, who was a metre from the flames, had no idea hewas in trouble, but his mum did.

“Zach!” Chrissy screamed, “Your jumper’s on fire!”

A big hole was burning in his oversized hoodie which a friend quickly pulled off him. Now, Zach’s pants were alight too! The young carpenter, who works for the family’s construction company and wouldn’t normally be pushed to the ground by his mum, started rolling around to extinguish the flames.

“Zach was pretty calm at the time, looking for dirt rather than gravel to roll in,” Chrissy recalls, “His dad Kurt? Not so much!”

Had it not been for their quick-thinking however, combined with their first-aid know-how, Zach’s situation would have been much worse. Zach was placed under a cold running shower for 20 minutes before his burn wounds were carefully dressed with Glad Wrap, to help protect his nerve endings, until help arrived. That help included the services of the Auckland Westpac Rescue Helicopter who flew Zach to Middlemore’s Burns Unit.

“We are so lucky to have skilled people in those positions,” says a thankful Chrissy, “Not everyone can do what they do. It’s a service we definitely need.”  

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