Liam McNally
Star Weekly is taking a look back at 2023. Here’s one of our biggest stories from last year.
Just before 5pm on Friday, August 11, Mario Attard set out for a fairly standard ride on his motorbike to Supercheap Auto in Melton, unaware that the journey would change his life forever.
Mr Attard said he remembers coming through an intersection on High Street, when he was struck.
“I remember being hit,” he said.
“I remember the car hitting my ankle and jamming it into my engine, because as I went flying the bike went with me.”
From there, he said he remembers images of people, paramedics and friends “coming in and out like picture frames”.
“I knew I was in a serious way… I knew that my life was going to change forever,” he said.
Mr Attard’s riding friends happened to be setting out for a trip nearby and became some of the first responders to the incident.
Sarah Whyte said it was heart-breaking finding Mr Attard hurt.
“When Mario went into shock an adrenaline rush came over him, I wanted to assure him people he knew were there for him,” she said.
“It will stick with me for the rest of my life.”
That weekend, Mr Attard had his leg amputated below the knee as a result of the accident.
Following surgery, Mr Attard floored friends and doctors with his positivity. Within days he was getting himself out of bed and around his room under doctors’ supervision, and he is even planning his next bike ride.
“I’m going to remain positive … If there’s something wrong and there’s nothing we can do about it, well let’s look forward,” he said.
“I am going to get back on the road, my brothers will be picking me up from the hospital and we’re going to be riding back home.”
For Mr Attard, getting back on the bike is about freedom.
“When you’re riding you forget about the world. It’s a different feeling and you have to have a passion for it,” he said.
“Am I excited? Hell yeah. Am I scared? F**k yeah. Of course I’m scared. But am I going to let it worry me? No, I’m not. Life is too short. If he wanted to take me, he would have taken me there and then.”
Mr Attard’s biggest takeaway from the incident is a message for the wider community – drivers watch riders.
“I just want everybody to be aware of who is on the road – from cars to buses to trucks to bikes,” he said.
“I forgive this guy. But …… I’ve got to live the rest of my life with no leg. Is that really fair?”
Mr Attard is the sole income earner of his household, which consists of himself, his wife, and two grandchildren.
Ms Whyte said friends have come together to set up a GoFundMe page to cover rent for the household while Mr Attard is out of work.
“The biking community is quite close … If we can take that pressure off over the next couple of months then that’s what we’ll do to help,” she said.
The group will also be selling ’Drivers Watch Riders’ stickers to raise money for the family.
In the past 12 months there were 49 fatal collisions involving motorcycles in Victoria, and in 2022 there was 940 hospitalisations according to TAC data.
Police have confirmed they are investigating the High Street collision and officers have spoken with a 46-year-old Harkness driver who stopped at the scene and rendered assistance until paramedics arrived.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or www.crimestoppersvic.com.au.
Details: www.gofundme.com/f/mario-and-michelle
