A Whakatāne teenager “broke every bone in his body” – and survived – after being hit by two cars while walking home in the middle of the night, his sister says.
Sapphire Patuwai, 23, told the Bay of Plenty Times her 18-year-old brother Raphael Patuwai was airlifted from Whakatāne Hospital to Waikato Hospital on Sunday with “severe” injuries.
She said he has had “multiple” surgeries for his legs, with more to come.
“They’ve still got to fix his arms and his back. His lungs have been drained. He’s lost his right kidney. The one that he’s got left isn’t doing what it needs to be doing so he’s on dialysis.”
She said doctors told her family Raphael “broke every bone in his body – all 206 of them”.
“It’s shocking – he’s just one tough fella that’s for sure. He survived it – that’s just a testament to who he is.”
Police previously told the Herald the man was located seriously injured on White Pine Bush Rd/State Highway 2 shortly after midnight on Sunday. The rural area is south of the Whakatāne township.
Police believed he was hit by “at least two vehicles”. The driver of one was assisting police with inquiries and police are searching for the driver of another vehicle, described as a blue SUV.
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