Australian reality TV star Paul “Sludge” Andrews nearly died earlier this month after he was seriously injured in a motorcycle accident. He was moved from a hospital to a brain rehab facility last week. Andrews, 55, stars in the Channel 7 series Outback Truckers, a series similar to History Channel’s Ice Road Truckers that focuses on truck drivers in Australia.
Andrews was in a “very serious” accident on March 4, his fiance Wendy revealed on his Facebook page on March 14. He is “extremely lucky to be alive,” Wendy wrote. “He is still hospitalized but will recover but its is going to be a very slow long recovery and rehab. Be assured I will be taking very good care of him when he is able to come home.”
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The truck driver suffered head injuries, several broken bones, a torn ligament, and “lots of bruising and abrasions,” Wendy wrote. “It has been a very stressful time but I thought all of you would like to know where he has been and what has happened,” she told fans.
On March 16, Wendy and Andrews told fans he was moved to a head injury rehabilitation center. The next day, he was “settled” in the rehab center. “He is still extremely tired and was in a lot of pain from the transfer but the wardits a lot quieter than [the] trauma unit and his 6 foot 6 body fits better in the bigger bed,” Wendy wrote.
Wendy also shared a photo of him smiling in his rehab bed as his family celebrated his 55th birthday. “Not the best place to be but at least he is here with us,” she wrote on March 17.
In an interview with the local Examiner newspaper, Andrews said his son Shaun was with him at the time of the accident on March 4. Shaun told him there was sand on the road, but he did not stop. “That’s what sailed me straight through and into the curb,” he said. “My helmet came off and my shoes were about 30m down the road. I didn’t even know what had happened, when I woke up, I was like, ‘Where the hell am I?’” He said he did not remember the accident itself.
Although Andrews vowed to continue truck driving, he admitted the accident “put a lot of pressure” on Wendy, who was worried about him before. “She just wants to be here and get us right,” Andrews said. “I’m getting there, slowly getting better, getting rid of my headache and the bones are starting to settle down. We’ll get right and start doing a bit more stuff.” Andrews also thanked fans for their ongoing support on social media.
This was Andrews’ second mishap in less than a year, PerthNow notes. Back on New Year’s Eve, he told fans he had a jet ski accident and suffered broken ribs. Andrews has been driving trucks for nearly four decades and attracted fans thanks in part to his purple Phantom truck on Outback Truckers.
