ISBN: 0-473-11394-5
© 2006
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ISBN: 0-473-11394-5 © 2006 |
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As Featured on Campbell Live on the 13th of December
At the end of August in 1988, an apprentice mechanic and nearly a year out of Whakatane High School, I got into a car with a severely drunk driver. This decision was fundamentally dumb and should have cost me my life. I went through the windscreen when we failed to take the first bend after leaving the party we were drinking at. My friend and colleague who was with us at the party was also a volunteer firefighter, luckily for me, he was the first on the scene.
I was assessed as too critical at Whakatane Hospital and collected by the Intensive Care Retrieval Team from Waikato. My book is about this accident as well as some of the others I have had, and my subsequent, miraculous recovery. It is also a warning to anyone who has or has thought about driving under the influence. Like me you probably think "It won't happen to me!" - Well, think again.
And try not to learn the hard way.
Matt Bullen
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Since finishing my
story and going about getting it in print, I have remet the Pilot who flew
me to Waikato 18 years ago. After I refreshed his memory of how we met, he
agreed to read my manuscript and write a foreword for me. We met John in September last year and went for another ride in the rescue helicopter, although conscious this time! |
Excerpt This book is a compulsory read for every teenager, especially those who are well charged with testosterone, and want to live to see their 21st birthday. This story is a credit to the emergency volunteer fire and medical staff who attended to Matt on the roadside. Also hospital staff at Whakatane hospital, for having the expertise to recognise a serious head injury, and who in a very timely manner, requested the Intensive Care Retrieval Team from Waikato Hospital to transport Matt back to facilities where they are better able to manage a serious head injury.
John Funnell |
Comments from readers....
Caroline from Auckland - "It made me laugh and it made me cry, couldn't put it down!"
Matthew aged 15 from Whakatane - "Liked it, got the point!"
Erin from Hamilton - "I think you hit the right note, funny, reflective, but with the lesson in there without being too preachy."
Jude from Whakatane - "Great read, have passed it on to my grandchildren who are at driving age, should be compulsory reading in all high schools."
Juliet, NZ Herald - "It made me cry, Loved it!"
Margaret from Whakatane - "Great story, should be in all schools!"
Maree from Hamilton - "Personally I laughed and cried, nodded and learnt along with your book"
Great News!!! Whitcoulls NZ
have decided to back my book and have placed their first order.
It should be on Whitcoull's and Bennetts shelves in the next few weeks, and!
Paper Plus have just joined the party, they have stock already! and now the Take
Note chain are in as well so please guys,
support these businesses.
As a small gesture to aid in the continuation of the rescue helicopter service, I am donating $1.50 per copy sold to the Philips NZ search and rescue trust which administers the five rescue helicopters in the central north island.
To help emphasize the terrible effect that drunk driving has on everyone involved, we hosted a mock crash at the Kawerau Woodfest on the 8th of Sept, in attendance we had, local police, St John Ambulance, Fire Service, a Funeral director, and the Bay Trust Rotorua Rescue Helicopter. Click here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szid9zzC_8g to see a condensed version of the footage that was shot.
My goal after publishing is to use this book as a teaching aid, maybe through a road show type tour through some of our high schools and in conjunction with Students Against Drunk Driving, local councils and the Police. Learning the hard way, my story of surviving drunk driving.
For enquiries or orders, please email me at ortha@ihug.co.nz
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