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The Sun
2 days ago
- The Sun
Lad's holiday to Benidorm ends in horror after single dad-of-two, 31, breaks neck when stranger shoves him into pool
A LAD's holiday to Benidorm ended in horror when a dad broke his neck after being shoved into a swimming pool "as a joke". Martin Bullen, 31, was at a Benidorm pool party on June 10 when he claims somebody who he "didn't know" playfully pushed him into the water. 6 6 6 The single dad-of-two said he had no idea how shallow the water was so when he was pushed, he tried to dive in but split his head open on the bottom of the pool. Luckily one of the worried partygoers that stepped in to get Martin out of the pool was an army medic so knew to keep him still until an ambulance arrived. Martin, who works as a sales advisor, was then taken to a nearby hospital where docs gave him 16 stitches in his head and found that he had fractured his neck in three places and broken his back. He explained that the trip to Benidorm with his cousins was intended to have a break from being a busy single dad. Prior to the holiday, Martin had gone to book travel insurance but got distracted before paying and forgot to purchase it - a mistake he dubbed 'stupid'. Martin said the hospital stay and extra flights cost £1,500 and he is now urging holidaymakers travelling this summer not to make the same "daft mistake" as him. Martin, from Wigan, Greater Manchester, said: "I was having a drink but I had my wits about me and stuff. Somebody pushed me into the pool and I didn't know it was a shallow pool. "I'm thinking I'll just dive in and dive back up and my head hit the floor straight away and it split open my head. "It was quite scary. I'll be honest, there was at one point I thought I was going to die on my own [in hospital] because I didn't know what was going on or who to talk to. "It was a moment of madness [not to take out insurance]. I was looking at getting it, I put it in the WhatsApp group for my cousins to get it and as I went to do mine something came up with the kids. "Then it just slipped my mind and then I forgot all about it and didn't get it done. It was a daft mistake. I knew I needed to get it. "Failure to prepare is preparing to fail, that's the best thing I could say." Thankfully Martin was able to fly home on 16 June and said doctors at the Royal Albert Edward Infirmary in Wigan have found five fractures in his neck and back. He said he still needs to wear a neck brace and can only walk or stand for about five minutes before he needs to sit down. Martin is awaiting further scans to find out the extent of the damage and what his recovery will be like. His dad, Scott Bullen, 63, flew out to be with him in hospital and was luckily able to help him with hospital costs but now Martin is raising money to be able to pay his dad back. Martin said: "I can see how it could be portrayed dead easily as a boozy Brit in Benidorm who has done this but to be honest with you I wasn't drunk. "It was a freak accident because I didn't know the pool was shallow. I'm a full-time dad and I try and work my hardest and try and bring them up the best I can do. "I'm not one of those idiots, I have a lot of responsibilities and I take pride in them." He continued: "I'm either a dad or I'm at work. I'm never Martin and that's what this time away was for me. "When I was in the hospital on my own I just needed my dad. Then when my dad came it was all about, I needed to land back home. "When the plane landed he [Martin's dad] was looking at me and I burst out in tears. "I've got two boys full time on my own, luckily my dad helped me with upfront costs, which I've got to pay back because he's retired. "I know it's going to be a long road to recovery but I've got through the hard part, which was getting home and being around people who can support me." You can donate to Martin's GoFundMe page here. 6 6 6
News.com.au
06-06-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
‘Need a pay rise': Aussies shocked by nurse's salary
A young nurse, who works up to 16 hours a day, has shocked social media users after revealing how much she gets paid. She was recently stopped on the streets of Brisbane for an interview by jobs app, Getahead, where she revealed she earns $78,000 a year working as an enrolled nurse. The worker is on the verge of finishing her registered nursing degree and plans to either continue working in her current hospital or become an army medic. During the interview, she revealed that she works between 8 to 16 hour shifts as a cardiovascular respiratory nurse, which she described as 'quite an intense job'. 'I am a carer for my grandfather. He had a heart attack a couple of years ago, [which] kind of got me into the specialty,' she said, adding that she had also cared for her grandmother when she was diagnosed with cancer. 'I just love the aspect of giving back to everyone, looking after people when they can't look after themselves is a massive thing.' When asked if she thought hospitals and the government were doing enough to 'look after' nurses, the young Aussie said she didn't think so. 'We have to fight so much for our pay increases and for our rights,' she said. 'I don't think a lot of people see how much we struggle and how emotionally exhausted we are sometimes.' The nurse said she and other people in the industry could 'definitely' do with more help and benefits. Since being shared two days ago the video has gained tens of thousands of views, with commenters sharing their shock at how much nurses really earn. 'Nurses all deserve better pay! Governments always say their nurses are valued and important but never pay them properly,' one person said. Another claimed that rate was 'too low', while another said all nurses 'need a good pay rise'. One person wrote: 'Definitely one of the most accurate interviews I've seen for nursing. Love this conversation! As a nurse I 100% agree, it's a constant battle for pay increases and for better working rights. Nurses don't get enough recognition.' According to data from the Australian Bureau of Statics, the average salary for a registered nurse in Queensland ranges from $79,058 to $106,144. An enrolled nurse salary in Queensland ranges from $71,234 to $82,599. Meanwhile, the average salary for a nurse in NSW ranges from $69,810 to $98,014. Victorian nurses have capped salaries at just below $130,000, making them among the highest paid in the country. In NSW the top classification for a registered nurse caps out at just under 100,000 in Queensland it peaks at $106,144 This is not the first time people have been left horrified after finding out how poorly some of our nurses are being paid. Earlier this year in another Getahead interview a nurse working at a private Brisbane hospital revealed that she earns around $33 an hour. 'I also work in a kitchen at the same hospital,' she added. Her admission sparked multiple stunned responses from social media users, with one person claiming there was 'no way' Australia was 'paying their nurses this low'. 'It's a joke here,' another said, with one adding: 'I make more as a barista, what?' Even though there was shock online around the woman's earnings, she claimed the 'pay' was one of the parts she loved most when it came to the job, along with 'going home to sleep'. Despite her joking response, the young worker said nurse was something she could see herself doing 'forever' and said more nurses are 'definitely needed' in Australia.
