Burns victim reunites with rescuers after life-changing attack

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3 days ago

Readers are advised this story contains images of a person with severe burns, which some people may find distressing.
Paul Taylor had always been curious to learn the fate of the man he found with severe burns on the side of a windy, rural road.
It was June 2022 when the motorcyclist, bound for his home at Shoalhaven Heads on the NSW south coast, happened to have made a scenic detour through Saddleback Mountain and made the grim discovery.
Unbeknownst to Mr Taylor, the man he was tending to, Central West local Andrew Gibson, had been doused in petrol by a former friend and set alight in an unprovoked attack.
Paramedics at first struggled to locate the pair among the difficult terrain but upon arrival, assessed Mr Gibson for third-degree burns to his face, chest and hands, and placed him into an induced coma before he was flown to a Sydney hospital.
"I was actually waiting for somebody to call and say he didn't make it because he was in such a bad way," Mr Taylor said.
It would be three years before Mr Taylor would know what became of that fateful day.
Mr Gibson spent five days in intensive care, underwent multiple surgeries and had months of hospital rehabilitation.
"They say you should drop and roll [when on fire] but I did a pretty fast Peter Garrett impersonation of getting all my clothes off as quick as I could."
The now 54-year-old said as the incident took place in a secluded area with little traffic, it was some time before he was found by Mr Taylor.
"That was a moment of relief. I thought my pain and suffering was finally about to end," Mr Gibson said.
The man responsible for the attack on Mr Gibson, Quinton Nydegger, who lives with diagnosed schizophrenia, was sentenced to almost seven years' jail in September 2023 and will be eligible for parole next year.
Mr Gibson said he had been unable to work since, now suffered from PTSD and had lost some sensation in his scarred hands.
But he said he was ready to take back his life by travelling Australia and first wanted to thank the passer-by and paramedic who saved his life.
On a warm July morning, outside Kiama Ambulance Station, Mr Gibson shared a welcome embrace from his rescuer Mr Taylor and first-on-scene paramedic Matt Edwards.
The meet-up was organised by NSW Ambulance after Mr Gibson reached out ahead of his planned travels.
He said it was a form of closure and "way to say thank you".
Mr Taylor described the moment as "special" and said he was surprised to see Mr Gibson in good health.
"He's looking well … I thought he would have had stumps for fingers they were so bad," he said.
Mr Edwards, who has been a paramedic for 20 years, said he still had "vivid memories" of Mr Gibson's case.
Marty Nichols, associate director of paramedicine and clinical practice at NSW Ambulance, said reuniting patients with emergency personnel was both "rare and unique".
"We are very mindful we get to come into people's homes and see them on their worst days to relieve their pain or provide critical treatment, but the reality is we very rarely find out what happened to them," he said.
NSW Ambulance only records patient-specific information, so locating Mr Taylor and organising a suitable time for all three men to meet took months.
"It's not always possible or easy," Mr Nichols said.
"If meeting up with paramedics can help someone in their recovery journey then we went to be part of that."