An afternoon of fun at the beach quickly took a dramatic turn and left a young man fighting for his life in hospital. The man, who has been named as 25-year-old Josh Taylor, was with friends at the beach at Woorim on the northern end of the Island on Saturday December 2 where he fell headfirst into a hole and became trapped underneath the sand. It is believed the hole had been dug to roast a pig, when Josh has fallen in and the sand caved in on top of him.
While it remains unclear exactly how long Josh was trapped underneath the sand, he was unresponsive when pulled free by rescuers and was given CPR until paramedics arrived on the scene.
Queensland paramedics and an RACQ LifeFlight Rescue helicopter were called in to help, landing on the beach to deliver a critical care doctor and Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS) flight paramedic as close to the scene as possible. The aeromedical crew joined QAS paramedics, Queensland Police Service and Queensland Fire and Emergency Service officers who had all responded to the incident. Josh was flown to the Princess Alexandra Hospital in a critical condition.
QAS paramedic Peter Batt had plenty of praise for the actions of those who were able to assist in the rescue before emergency services arrived on scene.
“The fact that they have got a return of pulse on this young man after an extended period of CPR, is evidence that good CPR was being done, it’s a credit to those people who got in and helped with their first aid,” he said.
With a long journey to recovery ahead, a GoFundMe page has been set up for Josh and his family. Organised by Georgia Hoffmann on behalf of Josh’s parents Peter and Belinda, the page asks for support for the Taylor family after the “unimaginable has happened to their beloved son”. It also describes Josh as “a vibrant and adventurous soul who has brought so much joy to those around him”.
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