An Australian retiree has made a miraculous recovery after suffering an internal decapitation when a tree fell on him at his isolated property in what doctors describe as one of the most severe and usually fatal injuries.
The Easter Sunday Accident
On Easter Sunday last year, Stephen Bowskill was clearing a lightning-struck tree on his remote property at Cessnock in the NSW Upper Hunter when disaster struck in a split second. The tree came crashing down on him, leaving him with catastrophic injuries that would test the limits of medical science.
"I saw it coming at me from the left side and bang, I didn't see stars, I saw to infinity," Bowskill recalled of the terrifying moment. He found himself lying alone with a shattered neck that had sunk into his chest, suffering from two brain bleeds and hyperventilating as he faced the very real possibility of death.
"I was lying on my back thinking I'm not going to get found," he remembered. "I was making my amends... getting ready to go, you know?"
Canine Hero to the Rescue
Unable to move or call for help and a considerable distance from his house, it was his loyal dog Callie who became his unlikely saviour. The devoted companion refused to leave his side and somehow knew something was terribly wrong.
Bowskill's partner Noelene Whilesmith heard the dog's distress calls. "She was moaning and whimpering. She never leaves Steve... so I knew by the sound... there was something going on," Whilesmith explained.
She ran 80 metres down the driveway to discover the devastating scene. "Steve laying there still, Callie was laying on top of him moaning and whimpering, she wouldn't leave," she described.
Emergency Response Against the Odds
Whilesmith immediately called triple zero, and in an incredible coincidence, paramedics Gabriel Hubbard and Aaron Thompson were in the area despite the property being isolated and extremely difficult to locate. They arrived within minutes.
The situation was brutal, and the location was a radio black-spot. Hubbard stayed with Bowskill while Thompson raced back to their vehicle to call for additional assistance, including the rescue helicopter.
"The system worked that day," Thompson said. "We just knew this was a serious job. Once we got on the scene it was the worst-case scenario."
Paramedic Hubbard vividly recalled the gravity of Bowskill's condition. "You could witness that the neck wasn't anatomically where it needed to be. It had sunken down into his neck cavity," she said.
Bowskill himself understood the severity, telling paramedics, "I think I've broken my neck, I think I'm about to stop breathing... I'm about to die."
Life-Saving Medical Intervention
Hubbard stayed by his side, comforting him while working quickly to stabilise his condition. Callie refused to move from her owner, even when paramedics asked Whilesmith to remove her.
"We put a collar on straight away," Hubbard explained. "If he didn't have that... I reckon it would have been a different outcome."
Bowskill was flown to John Hunter Hospital where the full extent of his injuries became clear. He had suffered an internal decapitation, medically known as cranio-cervical dissociation - a severe injury where the skull separates from the neck and spine. This type of injury is often fatal at the scene.
Specialist spinal surgeon Dr Patrick Lim told 7NEWS, "It's often a fatal injury at the scene, so a lot of these guys don't make it to hospital. It's an emergency operation, very time critical."
Dr Lim performed a five-hour operation to reattach Bowskill's head using a rod and screws. While stopping short of calling it a miracle, he acknowledged the extraordinary circumstances. "He's very fortunate that all these ducks lined up for him to get the treatment that he received in a timely way. He should buy a lottery ticket after that one."
Remarkable Recovery
In what has astonished medical professionals, Stephen Bowskill not only survived but has been left with no permanent or severe disabilities. Just 18 months after the accident, he has returned to working on his farm.
"I'm back on my excavator, 20-tonne excavator up on the paddocks," Bowskill said. "I'm putting in some big water tanks and building roads."
Whilesmith admits that keeping him safe remains a daily concern. "I think my greatest fear was that was the end and that's not an easy way to say goodbye," she shared.
Bowskill remains amazed by his recovery. "I can't explain from a medical point of view or a mechanical point of view why I'm still able to do things," he added.
But he has no doubt about who saved his life that day. "Callie came and had it not been for her I would have been finished," he said gratefully. "I'm just thankful that I've been given a second lease on life, I can see my grandchildren."
