“I thought it was a dream. I was just scared I was going to die.”
Brave 12-year-old Harriet Davis has described the moments after losing her hand in a tragic boating accident on the Nepean River last month.
The daughter of Hawkesbury police officer, Inspector Stuart Davis, had been enjoying a day on the river with her family when the accident happened.
Harriet had finished tubing for the day and the empty tube had been attached to the rear of the boat, however then became dislodged and went into the water. She took up the slack of the tube’s rope and held on for a short time before wrapping it around her hand.
But shortly afterwards the tube freakishly flipped, filling with water and acting as an anchor, forcing Harriet into the water and resulting in a catastrophic injury to her left hand.
The boat was about five kilometres away from Tench Reserve and broke down as her family desperately tried to call triple-0 and fashioned a tourniquet from towels and a t-shirt to stem the blood flow.
A passing jet skier was flagged down and he rode to get help, with a second then arriving to take Harriet back to shore.
“There were all these ambulances there waiting and five police cars,” Harriet said. “It didn’t hurt, I was just scared I was going to die.”
A medical team was put on standby at Westmead Hospital and Harriet went into surgery on arrival, eventually staying in hospital for two weeks.
She is now back at home, has returned to school, and is determined not to let the incident stand in the way of her dreams.
While she lost her dominant hand, Harriet began practising writing almost immediately with her right hand and has even made thank you cards for those involved in her rescue.
A keen netball player who was this year selected to play rep for Blue Mountains Netball Association in the under-13 squad, Harriet has also been practising shooting and passing with her right hand up to two hours a day in a determined effort to get back on the court.
Last Wednesday she was medically cleared by doctors and played one quarter in the local twilight competition.
She also had a visit from Swifts player Sophie Garbin in the hospital, and has since enjoyed a training session with the star shooter.
“You just have to lift your head and look to the future,” Harriet said. “I look to my family for inspiration, and everyone around me has been supporting me.”
Surfer Bethany Hamilton, who lost her arm following a shark attack at the age of 13, has also accepted Harriet into her Beautifully Flawed program for girls aged between 14 and 24 years, and Harriet is also looking forward to attending a camp once she is old enough.
Mr Davis praised the emergency response to his daughter’s accident, and said the police “family” had gathered around to support one of their own.
“We would like to extend thanks to everyone that supported us, particularly the first responders on the day,” he said. “Of particular note were rescue officer Senior Constable Doug Roden of Blue Mountains Police Area Command and Sergeant Brett Henry of Nepean Police Area Command.
“Doug was one of the first officers on the scene and carried Harriet out of the water.
“The emergency response was outstanding. We would like to say thank you to all those involved, the medical team, the police, volunteers, and the man on the jet ski that transported her.”
Mr Davis said NSW Police Legacy had been “instrumental” in supporting Harriet and had set up an account for her.
“That will assist with Harriet’s medical needs, whatever they are into the future, but prosthetics will be one of them,” he said.
To donate to the Police Legacy fund, visit http://helpharrietheal.gofundraise.com.au/
