Three years after an ordinary afternoon changed his life forever, Harrison Grey is back at school full time, learning to read and write again, and returning to many of the activities that once seemed uncertain.
Harrison was just eight years old when he ran out from behind his school bus and was struck by a vehicle on Bees Creek Road on 6 December 2022, suffering a traumatic brain injury that required some of the most advanced pre-hospital care that had ever been performed on a child in the Northern Territory.
Now 11, Harrison continues to live with the ongoing impacts of that day, but his mum, Paula Apostoles, attributes his survival and remarkable recovery to the 13-year-old girl who called Triple Zero and the St John NT Intensive Care Paramedics (ICPs) who responded.
“In the middle of all that chaos, she knew to call for help straight away, and she did not leave his side until we got there. I truly believe her quick actions helped save Harrison’s life,” Ms Apostoles said.
“The paramedics are the reason Harrison is here, and the reason he’s come as far as he has. From the moment they arrived, I knew he was exactly where he needed to be.
“I remember someone standing beside the ambulance with me telling me, ‘If that was my child, that’s who I’d want treating them,’ and that gave me complete confidence in what the paramedics were doing.”
Sustaining serious head injuries in the accident, Harrison was the first paediatric patient to be placed in an induced coma (pre-hospital emergency anaesthesia) in the back of an ambulance in the Northern Territory, done swiftly by the specially trained ICPs to prevent further damage to his brain.
He was transported in a critical condition to Royal Darwin Hospital, where he spent two weeks under the care of the extraordinary Intensive Care Unit staff and then on to a high dependency ward for a further four, before being flown to Adelaide Women and Children’s Hospital. Here he spent months undergoing intensive treatment and rehabilitation, which continues to this day.
Paula said the impacts of road trauma remained part of daily life, but Harrison’s progress had exceeded expectations.
“At one point, we didn’t know if he would walk, talk or eat independently again,” Ms Apostoles said.
“The part of the brain that was injured controls his movement, but just seven weeks after the accident he was walking with a frame, and now he’s walking, running, playing sport, reading and writing again. Every one of those moments felt huge.”
Ms Apostoles said Harrison still experiences significant fatigue and would likely require ongoing support long-term due to the brain injury.
As part of National Road Safety Week (May 17 to 24), the pair are sharing Harrison’s story to remind Territorians how quickly lives can be changed on the road – particularly for vulnerable road users like children – and to drive so others survive.
“Kids are unpredictable. Drivers need to slow down, especially around school buses and places where children are present,” she said.
“People think it won’t happen to them until it does. In a single moment, so many lives changed forever. Not just for our family, but for the kids on the bus, the bus driver, the army medic and others who stopped to help, our neighbours, the paramedics, the ICU hospital staff, and the young driver who didn’t expect a young boy to run out onto the road.
“If slowing down could save someone’s child, why wouldn’t you?”
St John NT CEO Abigail Trewin AM said Harrison’s story is a powerful reminder of the importance of road safety and a reflection of the advanced care Territory paramedics deliver every day.
“Every day across the Territory, paramedics respond to confronting situations where seconds matter and outcomes can depend on the actions taken before a patient even reaches hospital.
“National Road Safety Week is a reminder that every Territorian has a role to play in keeping people safe on our roads. Slowing down and staying alert around children, pedestrians and school buses saves lives.”
