A South Australian great-grandmother has revealed the emotional moments she spent comforting AFL great Tony Modra after he suffered serious injuries in a horror truck crash.
Linda Cameron was the first person to reach the former Adelaide Crows and Fremantle star after his truck crashed on Range Road at Back Valley on the Fleurieu Peninsula on Thursday evening.
The 78-year-old said she had no idea the badly injured man she found beside the road was one of the most famous footballers in South Australian history.
Instead, she simply saw someone in desperate need of help.
‘I was so frightened for him, and got out of the car and ran down,’ Cameron told Channel Nine.
‘I saw the man (and) he was not looking good, he was clutching his face and there was a lot of blood.
Linda Cameron became emotional as she recounted the moments she spent comforting Tony Modra after his horror truck crash
The 78-year-old great-grandmother was the first person to stop and help after finding Modra seriously injured beside the road
Cameron said she held Modra’s hand and reassured him she was not leaving while they waited for emergency crews
‘Then I said ‘Keep your hand there, and keep it tight’ and then I thought ‘oh God, he is going to get really cold because it was freezing.”
Modra, 57, remains in intensive care at Flinders Medical Centre after suffering serious facial injuries when a tree branch smashed through the windscreen of his truck.
While fears for his life initially gripped the football world, there was welcome news on Friday when it emerged the AFL great was no longer facing a life-threatening situation.
Veteran AFL journalist Jon Ralph revealed Modra had undergone surgery on his cheek, jaw and eye socket, with those close to him believing he is now out of danger.
Cameron said she stayed by his side in the bitterly cold conditions, using tissues and blankets from her car to help stem the bleeding and keep him warm while emergency services raced to the scene.
‘The wind was bitter, and every now and again his grip loosened, which frightened me a bit,’ she said.
‘I could just hear him [say his name was] ‘Tony’, and I told him my name and I said ‘I’m not going anywhere. I’m going to stay with you’.’
Speaking separately to the ABC, Cameron said she repeatedly encouraged Modra to keep pressure on his wounds while they waited for help.
Modra remains in intensive care but is no longer facing a life-threatening situation following the crash
‘I remembered I had a box of tissues in the car and they were nearly full and so I grabbed them and ran back again and took a big wad out and placed them on the wound,’ she said.
‘I said, ‘Hold on to that, push on to that and keep it there’ and I could see that it was helping to stem the loss of blood.’
Cameron became emotional while recounting the incident and said she was relieved she happened to be passing by when the crash occurred.
‘I’m just so glad I was there to help him,’ she said.
The positive update came less than 24 hours after the crash, with Ralph revealing Modra had made significant progress in hospital.
‘I can give you the very latest news, and it is overwhelmingly positive. This is no longer a threat of life or death,’ Ralph said on Kayo Sports.
‘After grave fears for his life, he has taken significant steps forward in the last 12 hours. That means those close to him believe he is out of the woods.
‘He’s still in ICU, but he is stable.
Friends of the AFL legend say he is expected to make a full recovery despite facing a lengthy stay in hospital
‘He’s had surgery today on his cheek, jaw and eye socket. But those injuries are no longer life threatening.
‘He’s going to emerge with some battle scars, he will be in hospital for the foreseeable future. But Tony Modra lives to fight another day.
‘That is fantastic news for the entire AFL community.’
Modra’s wife Erica paid tribute to the people who came to her husband’s aid, thanking the first responders she believes saved his life.
The message was read by former teammate and close friend Mark Ricciuto on Triple M Adelaide.
‘She wants to say a very big thank you to the first responders, called Sarah and Anthony, who saved his life and helped talk through to Erica while things were going down,’ Ricciuto said.
Ricciuto later revealed Erica was optimistic despite the severity of the injuries.
‘She said he’s going all right. It’s pretty amazing that he’s got through it,’ he said.
He added that Erica had joked her husband would not escape unscathed.
‘She said to me before he’s not going to be the same good looking Tony Modra. He’s going to have some scars.’
The former Adelaide captain struggled to contain his emotions as he spoke about one of his closest friends.
‘He’s a different fella, he’s a great fella, he’s one of my best mates,’ Ricciuto said.
The football world has rallied around Modra since news of the crash emerged, with current and former players, coaches and politicians offering messages of support.
Adelaide chief executive Tim Silvers said the club was devastated by the accident.
‘We love him, we adore him, he’s a legend of the industry to be honest and our thoughts and prayers are with him – we’re hoping he pulls through,’ Silvers said.
Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir described Modra as a cherished member of the Dockers family.
‘He’s a big part of the Freo family,’ Longmuir said.
South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas also paid tribute to the former full-forward.
‘Mods is an SA icon who has never forgotten where he came from. Down to earth and just a really good bloke,’ he said.
Modra played 165 AFL games across distinguished careers with Adelaide and Fremantle, kicking 588 goals and becoming one of the most popular players of his era through his spectacular marking and prolific goal-kicking.
A three-time Mark of the Year winner and the 1997 Coleman Medallist, he earned cult hero status in South Australia, where he became affectionately known as ‘Godra’.
