Boy has brain surgery after accident
Bruce Tonkin (17) underwent brain surgery to repair skull fractures that caused fluid to leak out of his brain, following a motorcycle accident last week.
Bruce was in theatre at Mediclinic Nelspruit for approximately eight hours on Tuesday afternoon, with an ear, nose and throat specialist and a neurosurgeon.
This follows Bruce’s motorcycle accident on the R538 Plaston Road outside White River on April 25.
Bruce, a waiter at the Greek Kouzina, was on his way to his 10:00 shift when he supposedly swerved off the road trying to avoid an oncoming car overtaking another on a blind corner.
“Nobody can confirm what exactly happened, as no eyewitnesses have come forward,” Michelle Tonkin, Bruce’s mother, said.
Michelle stated that Bruce was wearing his helmet, a thick leather jacket and his safety boots. “He is extremely safety-conscious,” she said.
Carol-Anne Gillespie passed the scene on her way to Mbombela when she decided to turn around and offer her assistance.
“There were two men with Bruce; one was stabilising his neck while the other was securing the crash site.”
According to Gillespie, Bruce was conscious and responsive when she arrived at the scene.
“I phoned Hi-Tech Security and we stayed with him until Emer-G-Med, on their way to another accident, saw us and stopped to stabilise Bruce,” Gillespie said. “Hi-Tech arrived soon after; they transported him to the hospital.”
Gillespie stated that from what she could gather, Bruce only had internal injuries. “It seemed as if the main impact from the accident was on his chest and on his head,” she said.
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Bruce was admitted to ICU, where his head injury and his lungs were monitored over the past week.
“Initially we thought the fractures would heal themselves, however, there was one fracture that was misaligned, so they kept a close eye on it,” Michelle said.
By Monday she was informed that Bruce was in need of surgery, as brain fluid was leaking out due to damage caused by the skull fractures.
On Wednesday morning Michelle confirmed that Bruce was stable and his doctors were satisfied with the operation.
Michelle stated how much the Lowveld community’s support has meant to the family.
“We are completely blown away by the support - people have been reaching out on social media, phoning us and sending messages. We are incredibly thankful for the support towards Bruce, it has carried us through this.”
More information to follow on how the community can get involved to support Bruce and his family.
