A ROAD accident can change someone’s life in an instant and Sean Kranz of Port Lincoln is testament of this.
The 21-year-old ran off the road and rolled his Nissan Patrol tray-top several times on Pine Freezers Road about 11.30pm on Saturday, August 11.
He was found by a prison staff member who noticed a boot and gravel on the road.
Sean sustained a broken femur, two crushed vertebrae, lung injuries, severe seat belt burns, three torn knee ligaments, plus other injuries, cuts and bruises.
After several weeks it was found Sean had also torn three of the five nerves off his spinal cord (brachial plexus).
After the accident Sean spent eight weeks in the Royal Adelaide Hospital and another two in the Hampstead Rehabilitation Centre before he could come home.
He is now recovering from major surgery he had on November 10 at Flinders Medical Centre, will have to attend ongoing appointments and in 18 months will need to have a knee reconstruction.
Sean and his parents, Steve and Jenny Kranz, consider Sean to be “extremely lucky”, despite his life never being the same as it was before the accident.
Sean has no movement in any of his fingers on his right hand and no feeling in half of that arm and hand.
It is hoped the relatively new surgery he had - involving transferring nerves from his left arm into his right - might bring back some movement and feeling, but it can be up to two years to gauge the operation’s success.
“He is very lucky, a lot of people get no movement in their arm after a brachial plexus injury,” Mr Kranz said.
“His lungs have recovered pretty well but they will never be the same.”
Sean lost strength in his left arm from the operation, so he is hoping to get that back, as well as the 22 kilograms of weight he has lost during the whole ordeal.
Mrs Kranz said Sean has had to learn how to do a lot of things again, such as writing, preparing meals and everyday chores using only his left hand.
Aside from this and not being able to do the things he loves, such as fishing, working on cars and playing computer games, Sean has found it frustrating being stuck at home all day without much to do.
“That’s the worst thing, he is so bored just trying to fill in the day,” Mrs Kranz said.
“It is hard to imagine what it is like to lose the use of one of your hands, but you do adapt after a period of time; you have to.”
There are a number of reasons Mr Kranz believes Sean got out of the accident alive, including the vehicle type, he was wearing a seatbelt, his good health, and the staff and volunteers who helped him.
The Kranz family has been amazed at how many people helped Sean, with countless volunteers and staff putting in tireless efforts to save his life and rehabilitate him.
Mr and Mrs Kranz said the volunteers who attended the accident did not get the recognition they deserved, as they themselves did not know everybody who attended the accident to thank them.
“The emotional and spiritual support from friends, family and strangers has just been incredible,” Mrs Kranz said.
“People that have just been acquaintances or did not really know him have been incredible. We just thank them for their support,” Mr Kranz added.
“It does change your attitude towards life. It has changed Sean forever, he might not think it does, but it has.
“We really want to emphasise what the emergency services do. People do not realise until it actually happens to them how much they do and how much they need support.”
A skipper and engineer for tuna company the Stehr Group, Sean is looking forward to returning to work next year.
The Kranzs are thankful to the support the Stehr Group has shown, and the Spencer Gulf and West Coast Prawn Fishermen’s Association for allowing Mrs Kranz to have nine weeks off without any notice.
Sean’s job has been kept open and he is looking forward to returning, starting with a few days a week and building up from there, but he will probably never be able to do the strenuous work he used to do.
“It would have been easy for them (Stehr Group) to say ‘we will just have to put you off because of your injuries’,” Mr Kranz said.
It is unknown why Sean rolled the car, with police blood tests showing he was not over the limit and he had not used his mobile phone.
Sean has no memory of the accident or his time in hospital until he woke up.