Dunedin city councillor waiting for six days for operation for badly broken arm after crash

Saturday, 11 June 2016

Dunedin city councillor Aaron Hawkins is in Christchurch Hospital awaiting an operation on his badly broken arm - six days after being injured in a car crash.

Hawkins - a front seat passenger - had to be cut free from the vehicle, after it slid on black ice near Halswell last Saturday night.

'I remember skidding and hitting the power pole, before becoming immobile,' Hawkins said.

His infant son, Emile, and wife Anya Sinclair escaped the crash with minor injuries.

Hawkins suffered a fractured left humerus in the crash, but was yet to see a consultant.

'Every day they come in and tell you if you are on the list or not. Today I wasn't even on the list,' Hawkins said on Friday afternoon.

Hawkins downplayed any suggestions his injuries were serious enough to warrant being made a higher priority, however he was surprised to still be in hospital.

'I wouldn't have imagined it would take a week, not in my wildest dreams . . . a day or two is understandable.'

He stressed that his criticism was not aimed at staff who were doing a fantastic job.

The fulltime councillor had already missed several committee meetings, while wife and son remained in Christchurch to support him.

Several hours after questions were put to the Canterbury District Health Board, Hawkins confirmed he had 'got word that I'm going under [on Saturday].'

Hawkins noted that the crash was 'all very familiar' as he had once worked as an actor in crash scenes for trainee medical students.

'It was an odd sense of deja vu.'

The district health board's orthopaedics and rehabilitation general manager, Dan Coward, said he was unable to comment on Hawkins' care for privacy reasons, but confirmed patients were prioritised based on urgency and the seriousness of their injury or illness.

'This can change daily based on the needs of, and numbers of incoming acute patients,' Coward said.

'This week we've had a number of serious multiple traumas where we have critical care patients requiring urgent life-saving surgery, therefore those patients are prioritised above others whose injuries are not life-threatening.'

The availability of specialist consultants could also affect surgery wait times.