A father-of-three is fighting for life in a coma after a horrific e-scooter accident which has left him with a number of broken bones and a severe brain injury.
Queensland man Michael Valdivia was heading to the shops, travelling south along the Springfield Parkway, southwest of Brisbane, on April 29 when he lost control of his e-scooter and crashed.
Emergency services rushed to the scene at about 7.25pm and discovered the 40-year-old, who was not wearing a helmet, had suffered life-threatening injuries.
Mr Valdivia’s fiancée, Sophie-Leigh Barker-McMurray, said her partner had been gone for just 20 minutes when she received the heartbreaking call from police.
Police said that Mr Valdivia was ‘in a bad way’ and advised her to head directly to Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane.
The 27-year-old explained she was on the way to the hospital when she drove past the scene of the crash.
Amid the chaos, with four ambulances, multiple police cars and a fire truck at the scene, she spotted her fiancée and pulled over before running to him.
Ms Barker-McMurray went into ‘complete shock’ and ‘collapsed’ at the scene as she watched paramedics intubate her fiancée and rush him into an ambulance.
Queensland man Mikey Valdivia (pictured with his fiancee Sophie-Leigh Barker-McMurray) suffered a severe brain injury after he lost control of his e-scooter and crashed
A police officer had to drive Ms Barker-McMurray the 30-minute journey to the hospital.
Doctors took Ms Barker-McMurray, along with her sister who had met her at the hospital, into a private room and told her ‘we don’t think he’s going to survive’.
‘They told me I needed to be ready to say goodbye and to make sure I called all five of our kids and prepared them for what might come,’ Ms Barker-McMurray told news.com.au.
The pair have been together for three years and had booked their flights and accommodation to Bali for their wedding in August just days before the crash.
Mr Valdivia suffered extensive injuries, including a broken shoulder, clavicle and several metacarpals (bones in the hand).
Scans also revealed he had multiple brain haemorrhages, including one on his brain stem.
Doctors rushed him into surgery to fit an intracranial pressure monitor, a device inserted inside the skull to record pressure and vital measurements.
Ms Barker-McMurray, who works full-time as a nurse, said she became ‘hysterical’ when doctors told her that her partner was unlikely to survive the next 72 hours.
Mr Valdivia remains in the ICU at hospital fighting for his life
She was admitted to the hospital and was told she was suffering from broken heart syndrome.
‘My body completely shut down. I was placed in the room opposite Mikey so I could see him, but I lost consciousness for a while,’ Ms Barker-McMurray said.
Ms Barkery-McMurray was discharged from the hospital shortly after but has barely left her partner’s bedside in the three weeks since the crash.
Following his surgery, Mr Valdivia was transferred to the ICU and placed in an induced coma.
A specialist doctor told Ms Barkey-McMurray that her partner ‘won’t ever be able to come back’ and that if he survives, he most likely will be ‘severely disabled’.
However, Ms Barkey-McMurray is remaining hopeful as her partner had defied the odds before after he survived a dirt-bike accident where he broke three vertebrae in his spine in May last year.
She added her partner had opened his eyes for the first time over the weekend while she and his eldest son were in the room.
‘I said, “Baby, do you remember me?” and he blinked once, which I took as a yes. Everyone in the room was cheering and shouting, “Oh my God”. It was a really special moment,’ Ms Barkey-McMurray said.
The pair had bought their tickets and accommodation in Bali for their wedding in August just days before the crash
Ms Barkey-McMurray described her fiancee as the love of her life who has the ‘most beautiful soul’ and is the rock of their blended family.
A friend of the couple started a GoFundMe to help Ms Barkey-McMurray with living expenses as she is unable to work while Mr Valdivia is in hospital.
‘Mikey’s fight for life is ongoing, and his family is by his side every step of the way,’ the GoFundMe reads.
‘Until the accident, Mikey worked hard every day to provide for his family. Now, with Sophie spending all her time at the hospital with him, she can no longer work — and the financial stress is building quickly.
‘They are struggling to keep their home, pay bills, and care for their children during this heartbreaking time. We’re asking for your help.’
Ms Barkey-McMurray explained she used her last paycheck to pay the family’s $700-a-week rent – which covers them till Tuesday.
All funds raised will help the family with rent, basic living expenses, food, clothing, essentials for the children, transport and costs related to Mr Valdivia’s care.
At the time of writing, the GoFundMe had received 47 donations totalling $5,430 and has the goal of raising $11,000.
‘Let’s come together and help lift some of this burden so they can focus on what truly matters – hope, healing, and staying strong for Mikey,’ the GoFundMe reads.
