A girl who was seriously injured in a crash has been hailed as a hero for putting her body on the line to protect her younger brother.
Ellie Hayes, 8, suffered significant head, face, leg and pelvic injuries, while Braxton, 4, sustained minor injuries after the car they were in went down an embankment at a property off Broken Bridge Road at Conondale on Sunday, December 29.
She was airlifted to Queensland Children’s Hospital in a potentially life-threatening condition and was stable by the next day.
Her father, Brayden Hayes, said she “saved her brother’s life”.
“Ellie is a true Aussie hero,” he said.
Mr Hayes said the children were with their mother and stepfather in a “paddock basher” at the back of the property, when the adults got out of the car to open a gate.
He said the vehicle was switched off and in gear when Braxton inadvertently “knocked the car out of gear”.
Mr Hayes said it rolled down a hill, through a barbed wire fence and over a steep drop.
“Ellie and Brax tried to put the car back into gear (but) they couldn’t,” he said.
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“Nearly at the bottom of the valley and about to hit a big gum tree head-on, Ellie used her own body as a makeshift airbag, wrapping herself around him and protecting his head and body.
“She had no formal training whatsoever, just pure instinctual sibling love.”
He said Ellie, from Wamuran, suffered a broken leg and two broken ribs, a fractured cheek bone, multiple cuts, abrasions and bruises.
The Sunshine Coast-based LifeFlight aeromedical crew was tasked to the incident about 8.45am and landed on a hill near the scene.
Queensland Ambulance Service paramedics and Queensland Fire Department firefighters met the helicopter, after they extricated Ellie from the vehicle.
The LifeFlight critical care doctor and QAS flight paramedic worked with local QAS paramedics to treat her before she was flown to hospital for further treatment.
Braxton sustained only minor injuries and was taken by road to Sunshine Coast University Hospital.
Mr Hayes said the children were enjoying some of their holidays on the property before the incident.
“They were having so much fun staying at the farm, seeing animals and exploring creeks,” he said.
