O’Hara Seriously Injured in Tasmanian Car Accident

Veteran sound engineer Kathy O’Hara was admitted to Royal Hobart Hospital 9 April after her van collided with an apple truck south of Hobart. The truck pulled out of a farm gate ahead of O’Hara, who was travelling at over 70kph in a Toyota Hiace.

(Pic: Kathy O’Hara and son Rowan)

O’Hara was cut from the wreckage and flown to Hobart Hospital where she was placed in an induced coma for three days. She suffered broken legs and pelvis and had three operations with more scheduled. Her hospitalisation is likely to span four weeks, with a further month in a rehabilitation hospital. She was told her legs will not bear weight for at least three months.

“Being logrolled on and off gurneys by a team of hunky, jovial orderlies, much like the 4-man crews of yore, while someone gives your arsehole a quick efficient ‘infection control measure’ mid-roll, and NO ONE even offers you a drink during the process is very fucking humbling indeed,” she joked.

The apple carter was somewhat surprised to see parts of Kathy’s van and several thousand apples overtake him. Police investigated the accident and the van is a writeoff. O’Hara will never eat another apple.

Starting in the early 1980s, O’Hara was one of a handful of women working on road crews, and was well regarded for her work ethic and positive attitude. She worked at Sydney Opera House for a decade. In recent years she has settled in Cygnet and built a small house, working at a local recycling business.