Hans Dykstra, 85, spoke about the horrific accident that he and his, Rina Jansen had in September 2016 while driving near Tennant Creek. They were hit by a powerful willy-willy which sent their vehicles rolling off the road.
The caravan was absolutely destroyed in the accident, and Hans was left trapped inside the 4WD. Rina freed herself and eventually flagged down a passing road train (by standing in its way!)
The emergency response teams delicately cut Mr Dykstra Sr from the wreckage. He was then flown from Alice Springs to Adelaide. After an attempt to save one of his legs, they eventually had to remove both legs below the knee. After a long recuperation, Hans can now get around on his artificial legs with some aide from a stick. Hans was full of praise for both the emergency services and the medical teams that worked on him.
It was truly an inspirational speech on the ability for people to overcome huge hurdles.
