Bolte Bridge crash victim tells of remarkable escape
A truck driver who survived a terrifying plunge off the Bolte Bridge has told of his remarkable escape.
Yousef Jaffary fell 20-metres when his truck veered off the busy CityLink tollway and was left dangling over the edge of the Bolte bridge.
The 40-year-old suffered horrific injuries, including a broken spine, and is lucky to be alive.
Speaking for the first time since the accident and exclusively to 7News, he said: "I have a broken pelvis, hip, femur, knee and feet.
"I had a dislocated collarbone, broken ribs, and a punctured lung.
"My liver was actually slashed in half and they had to put it back together."
Yousef clears building sites for a living and was driving his truck to a job in Brighton when he was involved in the horrific accident on the morning of May 17, last year.
He was ejected from the cabin and fell the equivalent of six storey's on to the road below.
"I do remember falling through the air," Yousef said. "I was conscious when I hit the ground."
Yousef was rushed to hospital and underwent emergency surgery.
He had 19 broken bones, spent three weeks in a coma and four months at the Royal Melbourne Hospital.
As a result of his injuries, Yousef will never again be capable of leading a normal life.
"Eight months later, I still use two crutches and I can't actually walk more than three or four minutes at the most," he said.
His wife filmed his first steps in rehab - a huge milestone in his recovery.
"When I got up for the first time, I couldn't walk," Yousef said. "I had to learn all over again."
Yousef is overcoming physical hurdles every day, but eight months on he continues to struggle with the emotional impact of the crash.
"Believe it or not, some nights, I set up my alarm to go off every two hours, just to wake me up from the nightmares."
The crash on Melbourne's main arterial road from the airport caused rush hour chaos for thousands of commuters across the city.
Train services were also suspended during the delicate operation to remove the truck.
Pictures of the chaotic crash scene dominated local news headlines for most of the morning.
However, Yousef says he cannot look at photos of the crash or watch the news coverage from the day because it is still too confronting.
He knows people have died going through much less that what he did on that morning of May last year.
In addition to his emotional battles, Yousef also faces financial woes as a result of the accident.
His injuries are so serious, he will never work again.
Cleared of any wrong doing, Yousef is now pursuing compensation for his financial loss.
Lawyer Don Maffia told 7News: "We've been instructed to investigate his entitlements. Yousef's whole work life has now been destroyed. He's a young man and had many many years to go."
Many of those years will be spent in rehab, but Yousef is staying positive.
He thinks something extraordinary saved him that fateful day.
"I would say it is a miracle, it's a miracle," he said. "I think someone was looking down on me.
"Maybe I needed to survive for my wife, my family."
