In July 2023, Riley’s life took an unexpected and devastating turn. A mad keen sportsman, boarder at St Bede’s College, rugby lover, and super active teenager, Riley was back home in Hawarden when he suffered a serious accident. He was doing what he loved, riding his dirt bike, when he landed a jump wrong.
For Riley and his family, the sound of the rescue helicopter will always be tied to the day life changed.
That day was supposed to be a celebration; Dad Nick’s 40th birthday. The family had plans with friends coming over, a night of laughter and good company. Then the phone rang, Riley’s cousin needed help immediately, they were close by so Nick was there in minutes. As soon as he arrived he knew it was serious, they needed medical care quickly. Nick immediately called 111 and when the operator heard the details, their response was clear:
“We’re sending the rescue helicopter.”
Mum Tara soon joined them bringing her friend, a nurse, to help.
The time from then until the helicopter arrived seemed like an eternity but eventually the air was filled with the unmistakable sound of rotor blades cutting through the sky.
Nick and Tara had heard that sound once before, when Riley was small. Now, it was back, for a completely different battle. Years earlier, as a small child, Riley had pneumonia that had caused breathing problems. They knew the rescue helicopter saved lives.
Critical Care Paramedic Juliet and Paramedic Julian landed and swiftly got to work.
As they worked, darkness fell and the group were in the field, in the cold. They stabilised Riley’s leg and managed his pain before carefully lifting him into the helicopter with dad Nick by his side.
Then they were airborne, speeding toward the hospital in Christchurch, a flight of just 20 minutes.
The crew fly at night using Night Vision Goggles, the sort of specialised technology that allows the Rescue Helicopter to fly 24 hours a day, but which needs to be regularly updated. Riley’s flight to Christchurch Hospital would not have been possible without them.
“We sat in the hospital while the doctors told us the outcome of his injury,” mum, Tara, recalls. “It was hard news to take.”
Riley had suffered a devastating injury. His hip was dislocated, and the top of his femur shattered. Surgeons worked to piece him back together, inserting eight metal pins to stabilise his leg. He spent three weeks in hospital and three long, difficult months unable to weight bear, slowly rebuilding his strength.
The accident didn’t just affect Riley’s body, it also shook his dreams. His sporting life, his love for rugby and the outdoors, all of it was suddenly uncertain.
Even after surgery and months of recovery, Riley’s journey isn’t over.
At a routine check-up a year later, the family heard more difficult news. X-rays showed that Riley’s hip wasn’t healing the way they had hoped. The bone was deteriorating. Arthritis had already set in, and the damage was severe, bone on bone.
Riley now faces the reality of needing a full hip replacement at just 17 years old. But he is determined to keep going, monitoring the pain, and pushing the operation out for as long as possible.
That determination is what led him, alongside his family, to sign up for one of New Zealand’s toughest endurance events, the iconic Coast to Coast race.
When asked if he wanted to join a three-person relay team, Riley agreed. Riley and his parents took on the challenge together in February, raising funds for the Canterbury Westpac Rescue Helicopter.
Riley cycled all three bike stages of the race, 140 kilometres in total.
An extraordinary feat for anyone, let alone a young man recovering from a life-changing injury.
Together, they raised $3,500 for the Canterbury West Coast Air Rescue Trust.form
