Man who drove tractor to safety after losing leg thanks life-saving rescue helicopter

Saturday, 1 August 2020

John Vujcich knew he could have died in the 2013 tractor accident which took his leg, and he was pleased when the Northland Rescue Helicopter was called.

When John Vujcich realised a farm slasher had savaged his leg, and he could bleed to death before he got to safety, he had a moment of great despair.

“I held out my leg and I thought, ‘I’ve lost my foot. What am I going to do; I’ve killed myself’.”

The 2013 accident is still fresh in the mind of the Far North District councillor, as it changed his perspective about the importance of rescue helicopters.

Kaikohe councillor John Vujcich says a prosthesis allows his to get around after the 2013 accident. (Photo from 2014)

Now the 67-year-old is urging everyone who has been rescued by helicopter to show their thanks with an exclusive new supporters club.

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John Vujcich credits the Northland Emergency Services Trust’s rescue helicopter for helping to save his life.

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John Vujcich is pleased to be alive after the 2013 tractor accident which cost him the lower half of his right leg.

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John Vujcich is the first Northland member of the Haast Club, a supporters club exclusive to those who have been rescued by helicopter.

Vujcich was using the tractor-pulled slasher on his small deer farm in Kaikohe, Northland, in September 2013.

When the slasher bent, he jumped off his tractor to do what he thought was an emergency repair. But in his haste, he forgot to turn the slasher off.

Kaikohe farmer John Vujcich is thankful wife Elodie was changed her plans on the day of his tractor accident in 2013. (Photo from 2013)

“I took one step and heard a roar, and that was all I remember.”

In between blacking out, Vujcich realised his potentially fatal mistake, and saw he was losing blood quickly, but he was 1km from safety.

Using his belt as a tourniquet on his shattered leg, he managed to climb back into his tractor.

But with just one leg working, and one arm holding the belt tourniquet, driving the tractor was a huge challenge, he said.

“I drove into a storm water drain and a normal tractor wouldn’t be able to get out of it, but my tractor is four-wheel-drive with big front wheels and was able to get out.”

To avoid having to get on and off the tractor, Vujcich drove straight over one gate but knew a second gate would not be as easy.

Fortunately, his wife Elodie had changed her plans for the day and was in the nearby deer shed so he could alert her. She quickly called an ambulance.

Vujcich said he was also lucky St John ambulance paramedic Gordon Magon was working that day.

Magon administered fluids and pain relief but he also knew to call for the Northland Rescue Helicopter, which picked up Vujcich from the helicopter landing pad in Kaikohe and took him to Whangārei Base Hospital.

While Vujcich lost his lower leg in the accident, he is still able to carry out his work as a councillor, as well as his farm work.

But he said the incident made him realise the importance of rescue helicopters across the country, including those run by the Northland Emergency Services Trust, which has rescued 21,000 people since 1989.

Vujcich is the first Northland member of the Haast Club, a new supporters club exclusive to Kiwis who have been rescued by helicopter.

He encourages everyone to support their local rescue helicopter, as people never know when they will need it.

“If you had asked me beforehand if I would need the rescue helicopter I would say ‘no way’. I’m usually quite a cautious person; I just had that momentary lapse.”