Richard Scott knows firsthand how devastating a car crash can be. After supporting his daughter Holly through recovery, he’s determined to spare other parents the same trauma.
It was just another Sunday night in July 2017 when Richard Scott opened his front door in Mount Barker to see his friend Sergeant Joe McDonald standing there, uniformed, silent, sombre.
Richard initially thought it was a casual visit – they had just played footy together the day before.
“But he just had that blank look on his face,” Richard remembers. “He told me that one of the kids was in an accident. It was Holly, and it’s not looking good. She’s still trapped in the car.”
In regional communities, the police officer delivering devastating news can often be someone you know well. Sergeant McDonald had been Richard’s friend for over three decades and was even a groomsman at his wedding.
“He still, to this day, thinks he could have done it better,” Richard says. “But how do you deliver that sort of news?”
‘You just go numb’
The crash happened as Holly, just 22, drove from her job in Adelaide to see her boyfriend near Echunga. A kangaroo jumped in front of her car. Instinctively, she swerved, overcorrected, and slammed into a tree. The impact was devastating.
By the time Richard reached the hospital, Holly was fighting for her life.
“You just go numb,” Richard says. “It was a very unsure time – how do you actually deal with it? What does Holly need? How’s it going to affect everything? The uncertainty was huge.”
Holly’s injuries were catastrophic: she shattered both femurs, her pelvis, hip, and tailbone. Her liver and spleen tore, her spine fractured, and multiple brain bleeds led to a severe traumatic brain injury.
Doctors put her into an induced coma for two weeks while they pieced her body back together with rods and screws.
Richard slept on a blow-up mattress in the hospital waiting room, waiting for his daughter to wake up.
Healing beyond physical scars
When Holly regained consciousness, a long and arduous recovery journey began.
“The hardest part was her pain,” Richard recalls. “The days she would just ache, and you couldn’t do anything about it. As a parent, you wish you could actually take their pain for them.”
Richard knew the pain all too well. His sister had died in a car crash at 19, and he himself had been run over by a car as a child, suffering serious injuries.
Sharing these painful experiences helped Holly cope with her own trauma and “get through those dark times”.
Recovery meant months in rehabilitation, relearning basic life skills. Holly struggled with PTSD, initially unable even to sit in a car without reliving the trauma.
The family adapted their home to accommodate her needs, making practical changes to help her move around while on crutches.
“We had to find the strength and resilience to get through it all,” Richard says.
But he also reflects on how his relationship with Holly deepened during this period: “We became a lot closer through trauma. We would have had that bond anyway, but it’s something we talk about.”
Turning trauma into triumph
Richard Scott and his family have transformed their personal trauma into a powerful message of prevention.
Holly now partners with the SA Police (SAPOL) as a Road Safety Ambassador, using her experience to educate young drivers about the devastating consequences of car crashes.
“When she talks at schools, there’s a deafening silence – you can tell from their faces that they’re really listening,” Richard says. “When the kids see Holly and hear about her recovery, it really hits home.”
Richard emphasises the hidden aftermath of crashes: “Everyone hears about accidents, but no one hears about the recovery. The resources needed for just one person’s recovery are phenomenal.”
For Richard, witnessing Holly’s transformation is deeply rewarding.
“I suppose you could say she’s my hero,” he says. “Seeing her resilience, how far she’s come, and knowing she’s helping others – you feel proud as a parent.”
Regional roads, higher stakes
Young drivers and motorbike riders aged 16 to 24 living in regional South Australia are three times more likely to be involved in a crash in which they lose their life or are seriously injured compared with their Adelaide counterparts.
Last year, 57 of South Australia’s 91 road fatalities occurred in regional areas. Two in three deaths on country roads are country people.
“In small communities, everyone feels it,” Richard says. “You grow up seeing people lost to crashes – it’s unforgiving.”
Safer Journeys for regional SA
That’s why SAPOL has begun rolling out an adaptation of the SA Police Road Safety Centre’s Safer Journeys two-hour road safety session for teens, which is hosted by Holly.
The first event – Safer Journeys Whyalla – was held over two days in May for Whyalla Secondary College and Kimba Area School year 10-12 students, and featured Holly as a speaker.
Senior Sergeant Susan O’Connor says the program is really important for regional students.
“They’re learning to drive on roads that are less forgiving than metropolitan roads,” she says.
“There are greater speeds, longer distances, and it’s really important that they get this education in their home setting, in an environment that is friendly and where they’re able to learn.
“For us, we see this just growing and expanding across the state.”
It’s all part of the SA Government’s THINK! Road Safety initiative to make South Australian roads safer for everyone.
The impact on young drivers
Students at the event experienced confronting virtual simulations and realistic mock crash exercises that drove home the harsh realities of road trauma.
Afterwards, they described it as “eye-opening, “really impactful” and “scary”.
One student said seeing the consequences of a crash meant they were “definitely going to be a bit more cautious on the roads”.
For one student, the part that stood out was Holly’s story: “I’ve heard many stories about [car crashes], but that was one that I’ll definitely remember for a while, just hearing it, listening in and getting that different point of view from it. I was able to get a few tears to the eyes – I’ve heard many stories, but Holly’s I’ll remember forever.”
Richard’s messages for young drivers
Richard’s advice for young drivers is simple, but effective:
- Slow down: “Everyone seems rushed these days, but you won’t have that conversation again if you don’t arrive.”
- Avoid distractions: “Keep off the phone – the message will wait.”
- Be prepared: “Get as much experience as you can driving in all conditions, have a designated driver, or sleep in your swag if needed.”
- Talk openly about road safety: “Make that call in the middle of the night to ask your parent to come and pick you up, even if it’s hard.”
Learn more about SA Police Road Safety Centre programs here.
Register for the next free Safer Journeys session at the Road Safety Centre on 12 August here.
