A 25-year-old Australian man named Josh Taylor is currently fighting for his life in the hospital after a terrifying incident at a popular beach. The incident took place on Bribie Island, located north of Brisbane, when Mr. Taylor accidentally fell into a hole and was buried by sand. Emergency services, including paramedics and a rescue helicopter crew, were immediately called to the scene to assist him.
According to a witness named Nathan, Mr. Taylor stumbled into a pit that had been dug for cooking a pig. “He stood up off the chair, the sand had given away a little bit underneath him,” Nathan explained. “He stumbled back, put his arms out to break the fall, and continued going down, knocking sand as he put his arms out.” The witness further described how deep Mr. Taylor was buried in the hole, saying, “You could not see him or his feet unless you were standing on top of the hole.”
Efforts to rescue Mr. Taylor from the pit were challenging. “There were 15 fully grown men on the end of this rope, and he still would not budge,” Nathan shared. Eventually, a paramedic instructed the rescuers to pull him in a different direction, which caused the suction to give way, and Mr. Taylor was finally freed. Nathan expressed his hopes for a positive outcome, saying, “I’m praying that he pulls through this.”
Nathan also recounted arriving at the scene after a group of men urgently called for help to rescue their friend from under the sand. Mr. Taylor’s friends and family were desperately digging to free him. “When I first went up to the hole, I couldn’t even see his foot. That’s how deep it was,” Nathan added. The situation was described as gruesome and intense, with family members screaming for assistance and urging the rescuers to use a rope to pull Mr. Taylor out.
After several minutes of struggle, Mr. Taylor finally emerged from the surface of the sand. However, the force of being pulled out caused further injury. Nathan described the moment as “pretty gnarly” and even made him vomit. “He broke. The suction, the force of everyone pulling,” he explained.
When Mr. Taylor was finally freed, he had no pulse, and rangers immediately began performing CPR until the paramedics arrived. He was then airlifted to Princess Alexandra Hospital in critical condition for further treatment. It took approximately 45 minutes for his pulse to return, but the actions of the people who assisted him were commended by QAS Paramedic Peter Batt. “The fact that they have got a return of pulse on this young man after an extended period of CPR is evidence that good CPR was being done; it’s a credit to those people who got in and helped with their first aid,” Batt said.
Currently, doctors are working tirelessly to save Mr. Taylor’s life, and his condition remains critical.
