A microsleep changed the course of Paul Freeman’s life forever.
He was driving to work in the Perth suburb of Midland in 1991 when he drifted to the wrong side of the road and crashed head-on into a lamp post, just five minutes away from his destination.
Freeman woke up in Royal Perth Hospital and was in the hospital for 21 days, which included nine days in the intensive care unit and a nine-and-a-half-hour reconstructive surgery.
The then-33-year-old had a range of serious injuries including a collapsed lung, nerve damage, a split nose, shattered cheekbones and broken jaw bones.
“My first memory was waking in the ward 10 days after the accident – that was a shock,” Freeman told 9news.com.au.
Over the next two years, he had nine more operations as his recovery continued.
Freeman said he felt sorry for himself after the crash until a conversation with his brother changed his perspective.
“My brother took me to see my car and lectured me on how lucky I was – it worked,” he said.
“I did go through a lot of black times and horrific mood swings over the first few years.”
He has since used his experience to help people through presentations to hundreds of people in the Western Australian community.
He has shared graphic photos and stories during his talks in the hope that his message will have an impact on the audience.
Ahead of the Easter long weekend, Freeman is renewing his plea for drivers to take care on the roads.
“Don’t drive tired. Drive safely or risk your life plus others’ lives,” he said.
With younger drivers overrepresented in crashes, Freeman also said education is important for improving the statistics.
“I strongly believe defensive driving courses and a visit to hospitals to hear testimonies from survivors should be mandatory before obtaining a licence,” Freeman said.
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Meanwhile, Queensland has a year-round double demerits system, which applies to people who have committed a second road offence within a year of committing another.
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