Kiter Severely Injured - Please Help
 

Many of us have already heard about this accident in Victoria, Australia on March 16, 2006 from this post on kiteforum.

I just received notification of a Donation Trust established for the man, his wife and young child.

Laurie is in a bad way at present following a severe lofting in Victoria, Australia.

Laurie’s current known injuries:

Left leg fibula broken
Right leg ankle in pieces.
Hip broken
Ribs broken
Both lungs punctured
And most critical
Extensive serious head injures.

Once Laurie comes out of the induced coma under full life support systems, which has been already 5 days, he will be in hospital for the next 6 months and in a wheel chair for another 6 thereafter and that’s optimistic speculations.

Laurie and Melanie have a six month old child. As you all know it’s hard enough to keep a roof over your head and the bills paid and food on the table for your family at the best of health. What will happen to Laurie’s family now?

Laurie’s an ambulance driver studying to become a paramedic. He is the man first on the scene and the greatest kindest man around helping us when in an accident or needing medical help and giving us support. Now he needs our support.

PLEASE HELP US HELP OUR AMBO KITEBOARDING BUDDY."


Further information from Laurie Smithdale, organizer of the leading forum in Australia is provided below:

Donation Trust and Accident Details

Kiter feedback Here and Here


- A request has been made to setup a PayPal account to facilitate donations.
- An evaluation of the accident is underway and will follow.


Your help would be greatly appreciated.

FKA, Inc.

transcribed by:
Rick Iossi

Laurie is still struggling as is his young family. Your help is needed and would be sincerely appreciated.

Richard and Seabreeze have setup a PayPal link for donations at:

CLICK HERE FOR THE PAYPAL DONATION PAGE

Donations are in Australian Dollars (AUD). So, if you want to donate say $20. USD list 28 AUD in the space provided on the PayPal site. More info about this below.

Thank you in advance for your help!





"PayPal lets you send money, without opening a currency balance, in these currencies:

Canadian Dollar
Euro
Pound Sterling
U.S. Dollar
Yen
Australian Dollar

On the Payment Details page, we will show you the current exchange rate and the equivalent amount in your Primary Currency (generally, U.S. Dollars). When you pay, we will handle the conversion for you."

For example using current APPROXIMATE. exchange rates:

20 Euros = 34 AUD
$20 USD = 28 AUD
20 Pounds = 49 AUD
20 CAD = 24 AUD
etc.

Here is the latest on Laurie ...

"Hi all.

It’s nice to receive those extremely warm kind words from you all. Thanks Viffer, Graeme and Zanzibar. And thank you so much for all your support.

I have been on stealth mode for a while.
But good news.
Our BUDDY is home for the weekend.
Yeeeeeeeeeeee Haaaaaaaaa


From Melanie
“Laurie is home for the weekend. We have just been through all the seabreeze forum posts. It's very encouraging and uplifting for us both. There is no THANK YOU big enough to cover the gratitude we have for all the support, good thoughts, prayers, wishes and love received from everyone in the kitesurfing community. THANK YOU ALL.

An update on Laurie is:
• Able to stand on left leg (can hop using a frame down the corridor)
• Right foot still healing
• Right side moving well and building strength
• Moving himself around in the wheelchair
• Speech is improving
• He is in good spirits and positive about getting well
• All other injuries are OK
Lilly and I are going well. All the support we were shown over the last 11 weeks has really helped us get through. So a special thank you from us too.
Laurie is looking forward to seeing you all down the beach (probably next summer) for good chat. Mel.”

U did it Laurie U did it. We are going to have to strap your wheelchair to two boards and get you back out there.

Well done Buddy.
Cheers
Kaos."