A Ballarat mum feels both grateful and comforted that community members rushed to her son's aid when he was injured after being thrown from his bike earlier this week.
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With a curriculum day at his school on Tuesday Hayden and his friends were riding their bikes up Geelong Road.
But while pedalling past Damascus College just after 10am the 13-year-old hit uneven ground and was thrown from his bike "like Superman".
Lying on the side of the road in severe pain, his friends called Hayden's parents. As they waited for them to arrive, several other community members stopped to check on Hayden's welfare including a lady named Christine.
The Country Fire Authority's District 15 Commander, Malcolm Hayes, was on his way to work when he saw the boy and feared he had been struck by a car.
The extent of his injuries were not known at first, aside from his obviously chipped front teeth, and it was feared Hayden had broken his collarbone.
But after sitting him up it was confirmed this was not the case, but that Hayden had snapped his wrist.
Along with Christine and Commander Hayes, an off-duty paramedic also stopped to assist and called an ambulance.
Commander Hayes and the other community members reassured the boy until his parents arrived but with a delay expected for an ambulance, Hayden's parents transported him to the emergency room themselves.
Hayden's mum, Cressida Staggard, is exceptionally grateful for all the people who stopped to help her son.
She said it would have been easy for people driving past at the time to believe it was a group of young boys "mucking around" and to continue on their way but instead a number of people stopped to offer their assistance.
As a mum, she described it as "reassuring and comforting".
You send your kids out on their bikes and you hope that nothing happens but the fact that something did and people were so willing to stop and help was very reassuring.
- Cressida Staggard
"You send your kids out on their bikes and you hope that nothing happens but the fact that something did and people were so willing to stop and help was very reassuring.
"It is really comforting and we are really grateful for the community where we live."
She praised her son for being brave and said his mates also showed courage by remaining calm during the traumatic experience, including making the responsible decision to call her.
Hayden was required to undergo a COVID-19 test before he could be taken in for surgery to straighten his wrist under anaesthetic.
He is now wearing a cast which means his arm is in a permanent 'L' shape and is working out how to hold the controller for his X-box.
A procedure was undertaken to seal the nerves on his teeth after the fall and Hayden will attend a dentist appointment next week to permanently repair his teeth.
Commander Hayes, who has an emergency medical response background, said it never crossed his mind not to stop and thought any CFA member would do the same.
He also stated how brave Hayden was.
"For a kid with a broken wrist, he was pretty brave and wasn't complaining or anything. He had a helmet on which was lucky."
His boss, Assistant Chief Fire Officer Eddie Lacko, was not surprised when he heard about the reason Commander Hayes was late to work that day.
"He apologised but said he'd been helping a young kid on the side of the road who'd come off his bike. He provided first aid and reassured him until his parents could take him off to hospital," he said.
"This is just the type of person that Malcolm is. He's always willing to assist and he's got a clear idea about community and support. This has obviously had an impact on the family as they put a post on Facebook thanking Malcolm for his help.
"Most people join CFA to help communities, so I think it's fantastic and it's a real reflection on CFA people."
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