Australia

Dan Andrews opens up about his recovery from serious spinal injury

Source: Dailymail

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews says his back has ‘fully healed’ but his ribs still haven’t after his fall in March.

Mr Andrews was asked how his recovery was advancing during Sunday’s press conference to address the latest developments around the state’s Covid-19 outbreak.

‘Yeah good,’ he responded. ‘My back is fully healed. My ribs are not.’

Mr Andrews joked that it was a ‘joy’ to stand up and give updates for lengthy periods.

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‘It is doing my posture a world of good,’ he said.

Mr Andrews went on medical leave on March 9 after he slipped and fell on wet stairs breaking several ribs and fracturing his T7 vertebra.

At the time, he was getting ready for work on the Mornington Peninsula.

Mr Andrews returned to duties at the end of June.

‘As I put my foot on to the first step. I knew I was in trouble. I didn’t really connect with the step it just slid straight off, I became airborne almost,’ he said at the time.

‘Then all I can hear is just this almighty crunch.

‘When I heard the crunch, I knew. I thought this is serious, we’re in trouble here.’

Mr Andrews said he couldn’t call out to his wife because he couldn’t breathe. She found him moments later.

X-rays revealed he’d sustained an acute compression fracture of the T7 and broke several ribs, which caused the lower section of his lungs to collapse.