A young Australian who fought for his life after a horrific quad bike accident in Bali has returned to Perth on a mercy flight.
Joshua Schuetz, eight, was flown from Bali to Perth on Friday night after being placed in an induced coma following the crash in Ubud, southeast of Bali.
Joshua was a passenger on the motorcycle driven by his teenage brother Luca when it left a narrow road and crashed on Wednesday.
The eight-year-old boy was thrown from his bike into the water and suffered serious injuries, including a skull fracture and brain hemorrhage.
He was rushed to Denpasar Hospital, where doctors performed emergency surgery.
Joshua will now continue his treatment at Perth Children’s Hospital.
Family friend Bernice Ariasa said Luca had shown “superhuman strength” when he rescued his younger brother from under the quad.
Joshua Schuetz (pictured) left in an induced coma after the horrific quad accident
The eight-year-old boy was flown from Bali to Perth on Friday night on a mercy flight (pictured)
Joshua (pictured) was due to take part in a football tournament in Bali with his team, Cockburn Wolves Futsal Club, a local team based in Perth, on Saturday.
“Joshy was trapped under the bike with a harness holding him to the bike and in the water,” Ms Ariasa said.
‘Luca (Joshua’s older brother)… pulled him out of the water with a kind of superhuman strength.’
Joshua was due to take part in a football tournament in Bali with his team, Cockburn Wolves Futsal Club, in Perth on Saturday.
The club has rallied behind Joshua and his family with the Byford Futsal League organizing a fundraising tournament in the little boy’s honour.
The ‘Joshy Cup’ will be held in Byford, southeast of Perth, on December 21.
Since then, Ms. Ariasa has created a GoFundMe page to help the family cover the costs of medical bills, which has raised $100,000 of the $150,000 target amount.
Joshua’s parents were forced to shell out $20,000 on the spot for doctors to treat their son and a $10,000 deposit for a blood transfusion.
The family’s insurance covered the cost of the emergency flight but not the remaining medical expenses.