Documentary follows journey of Tūrangi man paralysed in bike accident

A new documentary is about Tūrangi man Darrell Couchman who was paralysed as a result of a bike accident three years ago. Photo / Supplied

For years, Tūrangi's Darrell Couchman cycled the Tongariro River Trail regularly without incident. But on January 19, 2019 that all changed.

After a slight wrong turn, Darrell hurtled down a bank. His injuries left him paralysed and in a wheelchair.

For someone whose favourite hobbies involved getting outdoors and being active, the accident turned his life upside down.

Now, the story of his accident, rescue and recovery is the subject of Pukawa filmmaker John Ball's new documentary Man in Wheelchair - It Was Just a Matter of Fate.

John has produced five documentaries in the past two decades, mostly covering the history of the North Island.

"This was almost an accidental film with Darrell," he says.

"I met Darrell when we were riding with the local bike club and I visited him regularly after his accident. One day, I said you've got time on your hands and I'm retired, why don't we make a film and tell your story."

John says he learned a lot throughout the process.

"There are the shocking difficulties that come with recovering from an accident like this, so many things you take for granted. I'm a much more cautious bike rider nowadays.

"Darrell is a very articulate person, which made my job easier, and he has a pretty good sense of humour so we had some good laughs along the way, which is pretty heartening."

Darrell Couchman's life changed when he was left paralysed after a bike accident in 2019. His journey will be hitting the big screen next month. Photo / Supplied

Darrell says he had no idea what he was getting himself into as the star of the film, but with nothing better to do, it was a good idea.

"I knew John had done films before and I thought he would do a good job. It was enjoyable, most of it was outside which was great and I think he enjoyed it too."

He had been a mountain biker for many years and had cycled the Tongariro River Trail "a few times a week" before the accident.

"On the day of the accident, a mate was cycling behind me on a regular bike but couldn't keep up because I was on my new E-bike. So we decided if he went first, I'd ride at his speed.

"Going through a zig-zag bit of the trail, he had taken off and I thought I'd better try to catch up. I clipped a branch or something which was enough to dislodge my handlebars and turn me left. I hit a log, snapped it and ended up face-first in a stream.

"From there on it was a case of recovery. I understand it took about three hours before they could winch me up in a stretcher to the helicopter."

The recovery process during the past three years, for Darrell and his wife, has been long, frustrating and at times lonely.

"It completely changed our lives. We were planning, a couple of days after the accident, to take our bikes down to the South Island for a month of riding.

"We had a lot of people and services arriving in those months after coming out of the spinal unit, who were really just clipping their tickets and charging ACC for their services. Over a period of time we weeded out people and got rid of those who weren't helping.

"I've been lucky since then. One of my caregivers, Rahul Rana, is a trained physio and he has been great. He is really good value. He's more like a son to me than a caregiver."

Darrell Couchman (left) says his physiotherapist Rahul Rana is now like a son to him. Photo / Supplied

John says after the accident there were a lot of people he considered friends who he did not hear from.

"That was the biggest disappointment of my life. There were a couple of people who did come regularly and really did help, and they still come and see me.

"It is a sh*t life and there's not a lot to look forward to. I have a very supportive wife but man, has she been stressed too. It's hard because we were both outdoor people, both independent. We used to bike, tramp, go snow caving. Our lives were busy, we'd work hard during the week and go out and play at the weekends.

"That's all changed. It's bloody hard."

Taupō & Tūrangi Herald film reviewer Jen Shieff has seen the documentary and says cyclists of all ages will find lots to interest them.

"John hasn't made the film as a warning, there's nothing about 'this could happen to you too'," she says.

"Instead, John sensitively shows how unlucky Darrell was on the day of his last ride along the beautiful Tongariro River Trail."

Jen says carefully selected interviews show how fortunate we are in Aotearoa to have ACC stepping in from the start and being there every step of the way.

"Having experienced my partner's helicopter rescue two years ago, I was grateful all over again to the skilled and caring Greenlea Rescue Helicopter team."

On the day of Darrell's accident, he may not have survived at all had it not been for the Greenlea Rescue Helicopter crew who were able to get him to the spinal unit at Auckland Hospital as quickly as possible.

The documentary is being screened to the public for the first time at the Great Lake Centre in Taupō on June 23 at 6.30pm.

Tickets will be on sale from June 1 at trybooking.com and all proceeds will be donated to the Greenlea Rescue Helicopter.