An Irish man who suffered critical injuries when he was hit by a car on a Sydney highway was “loving every minute” of his new life in Australia, having moved just months ago.
Beoan Jones was struck along the Bradfield Hwy, near the Sydney Harbour Bridge, on November 11 and was rushed to Royal North Shore Hospital in critical condition.
The 25-year-old pedestrian was “broken all over”, suffering broken ribs and vertebrae, a fractured pelvis, multiple neck fractures and bleeding on the brain.
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Sydney resident Barry Carey, who knows Jones’ family from their home village Maguiresbridge, in Northern Ireland, said Jones had packed up his life and moved to Australia three months ago and was finally finding his feet when tragedy struck.
Jones worked as a mechanic and was just weeks away from moving into an apartment with his girlfriend, Cloadagh.
“He just started work and was really enjoying life over here … and for something like that to just pop out of the blue was such a shock,” Carey said.
His devastated parents and one of his sisters have flown to be by his side in hospital, while his three other sisters wait for updates at home.
“(His mother) is obviously distraught about what’s happened, and so is the rest of the family,” Carey said.
Jones is recovering in hospital, where he faces another 12 more weeks and a “long road ahead of him”.
Having been in a car accident himself in 2020, Carey said he knew the physical and mental toll it could take on both Jones and his family.
He has stepped up to help Jones’ family, starting a GoFundMe to assist with rehabilitation costs.
“I know what it feels like, he may as well have been dead. That was the case for me as well,” Carey said.
Carey said the accident was a huge financial burden on Jones’ family — especially so close to Christmas.
“Think for a minute what it would be like for a person to be so far from home, on the other side of the world basically, and for the family to get a phone call like that,” he said.
“The struggles and the rehab ahead of him … all we can do is hope and have a bit of faith that he has the best recovery he possibly can.”