Picking Avocados Did This

Troy was working on a farm when he was struck down with devastating consequences

As the rain pelted down, I breathed out a sigh of relief. ‘Nearly done!’ my dad John, 58, yelled out to me with a grin.

Both working on an avocado farm, we’d spent all morning picking the fruit.

Most of the week had been called off due to the rain, but we were under pressure to get the job done.

Despite the weather still being bad, we’d agreed to work. Each worker operated an elevated 6.4 metre-high metal cherry picker.

Dad had warned me to avoid the overhead power lines, especially in the rain.

Dropping my final pick into the avocado bin, I drove up to higher ground to get phone reception to send a text.

The rain continued to pour as I typed out the message and started to make my way back down to the other side of the farm.

But as I came out of the trees, I heard a crackle in the sky. Suddenly, everything went black.

The next thing I remember is waking up on the floor of the ground and being totally blind. ‘Troy, don’t move!’ Dad shouted.

As I drifted in and out of consciousness, an ambulance arrived.

‘We’re going to put you in an induced coma,’ the paramedic told me.

Am I going to die? I worried before falling into unconsciousness.

Waking up in hospital, bound in bandages, I saw my dad sitting beside me.

As he turned and saw that I was awake, his face lit up.

‘How are you boy?’ he asked, as a tear trickled down his face.

Dad never cried, so I knew I was in a bad way.