A beloved father underwent emergency surgery after suffering a broken neck in a tragic accident while working with cattle.

According to Corlia Louw, the incident involving her brother, Cobus Louw (48), occurred on a farm between Brits and Thabazimbi on Monday morning.

She said Cobus sustained severe injuries while working with cattle and was rushed to Brits Hospital for emergency treatment.

It is believed a cow rammed Cobus while he was tending to another cow and her calves. Despite the severity of his injuries, he managed to walk to his vehicle, arrange for help, travel with the help of a friend and his son from the farm to Brits Hospital and seek medical assistance before scans revealed the extent of the damage to his neck.

Doctors discovered he had suffered a broken neck and required urgent specialist medical care.
Corlia said that due to the severity of his injuries, he was airlifted to Mediclinic Sandton in Johannesburg, where he underwent emergency surgery.

His wife Corrie and two sons, Andru, who is 25, and Janco, who is 15, have been by his side at the hospital since the accident.

Louw said a doctor told Cobus he had never seen anything like it before. Given the way his neck had been broken, it was, humanly speaking, impossible that he should have been able to walk back to his bakkie to call for help, endure the journey from the farm to Brits without any neck support, climb out of the vehicle and sit on a chair. His neck was only stabilised after scans revealed the extent of his injuries.

“God’s hand was already over him,” she said.

However, the unexpected medical emergency has placed a significant financial burden on the family, who now face the costs of flights, transport, accommodation and other expenses while remaining close to the hospital. The length of his recovery and hospital stay remains uncertain.

Family members have launched an appeal for assistance to help reunite the family during this critical period.

Click here for the Back-A-Buddy campaign.

“We humbly ask for your prayers and, if possible, any financial assistance to help bring them to Johannesburg so they can support him through his surgery and recovery,” a family member said.

They have also asked the public to keep the injured father, the medical team caring for him and the family in their thoughts and prayers.

Anyone wishing to assist can contact the family directly for information on how to contribute.

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