Father instigated search for Samuel Lethbridge, who had been trapped in car in NSW bush for more than a day

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

The father of a teenager who spent 30 hours trapped in a crashed car in New South Wales bush says he knew his son hadn’t run away so following his intuition he hired a helicopter to look for him.

When 17-year-old Samuel Lethbridge failed to return to his home in Blacksmiths at Lake Macquarie on Sunday night, his family decided to search for him.

Tony Lethbridge suspected his son may have been in a car crash and the helicopter he hired on Monday morning was used to spot the car in bush off the Pacific Highway at Crangan Bay.

By the time emergency services reached Samuel, he had been in the smashed Hyundai for more than a day suffering multiple fractures.

“Everybody was saying he’s probably run away and all that kind of stuff. That’s just not Samuel,” Lethbridge told Network Seven on Tuesday.

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Lethbridge was told his son was tired on Sunday when he left to drive home, so he thought he may have driven off the road.

“We did have an accident here about five years ago – exactly the same thing – and unfortunately that bloke passed away because nobody found him within five days,” he said. “I wasn’t going to let that happen.”

Samuel’s uncle Michael Lethbridge was in the chopper when the smashed vehicle was located 20 metres off the highway, about 20km south of the family home.

“The pilot ... took the doors out so we could see clearly and within 10 minutes of going down the highway we saw Sam’s car,” he told 3AW Radio.

“We were so lucky because for those first 10 minutes it was really thick, wooded land and then Sam’s car is white so it just stood out.”

The helicopter dropped Michael off about 150 metres away from the wreckage as it was too dangerous to land, and the pilot hovered above waiting for his signal.

“I really didn’t want to go, I was scared of what I’d find. As I got closer I seen Sam’s head move,” he said. “I went from being terrified to ecstatic in a couple of seconds.”

Samuel was trapped inside the vehicle and had to be cut free by emergency services.

He was taken to John Hunter hospital where he underwent surgery for multiple fractures and remains in a serious condition.