Light at end of the tunnel

Tunnel hit-and-run victim on his feet

KENT BLECHYNDEN/ The Dominion Post

TRUE GRIT: Tunnel accident survivor Earl Krauskopf gets help from physiotherapist Rachel Crone as he learns to walk again in Kenepuru Hospital.

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After being bedridden for more than 100 days after a near-fatal hit-and-run in Wellington's Mt Victoria bus tunnel, Earl Krauskopf has once again found his feet.

The 41-year-old, who has endured 20 operations, is looking forward to a life beyond hospital walls after being found in a critical condition in the bus-only tunnel early on January 31. He had been told he would spend up to a year in hospital.

"I'm motoring along," he says. "I've been positive, working really hard, pushing myself."

But 3½ months after the accident, his recovery remains a fulltime effort. "I'm determined to get out of here. The doctors were amazed at how much I pushed myself."

His injuries included a broken pelvis which now has a metal insert. His left buttock was mutilated, he broke an ankle and suffered nerve damage. He has had numerous skin grafts on his back and hand.

Mr Krauskopf cannot recall the accident but police believe he was hit by a blue-coloured car as he walked through the tunnel after a night's drinking.

He concedes he will probably never do karate again he has a first dan black belt and is now concentrating on mastering simpler tasks such as making Milo, under the urging of staff at Kenepuru Hospital. "They want me to start doing everyday kind of things."

He has been told he could be discharged from hospital in as little as three weeks. He insists he is not angry that the person responsible for his injuries has not been caught. "That's not my job, that's the police's job. My job is to get better." The police investigation is continuing.

- © Fairfax NZ News