Pieter Jooste with wife Zoe and daughter Annie after walking through a guard of honour by PA Hospital staff
A Brisbane man has defied the odds to walk out of Princess Alexandra Hospital after a catastrophic car crash overseas left him with life-threatening injuries and a seven-month road to recovery.
Pieter Jooste was on a holiday in South Africa with his wife Zoe and young daughter Annie in February 2026 when a crash left both him and Zoe critically injured.
"I genuinely thought I was going to die," he said. "When I came to, I looked over and saw Zoe. Everything hurt. I thought that was it."
Both Pieter and Zoe spent weeks in intensive care units overseas before they were medically evacuated on a flight back to Australia. Pieter arrived at PA Hospital on 7 April 2026.
Clinicians found severe complications including infection and sepsis. His condition was so critical they considered amputating his badly damaged arm.
"The team sat down and asked what was important to me," he said. "I told them I loved playing golf, fishing and, most importantly, being able to do things with my daughter as she grows up.
“They listened and said ‘'We'll do everything we can to try and save it.'"
After months of complex surgeries, intensive rehabilitation and setbacks, the family say it was the care and compassion of PA Hospital staff that carried them through.
"They treat you like a person," Pieter said. "I've been here long enough that I've built genuine relationships with people. The level of care is incredible.
"I never realised what people in healthcare do until I needed them."
One moment that stands out for the family was during a postoperative complication when staff rushed to his bedside. Pieter’s mother arrived to visit as the response was unfolding.
"She was terrified," he said. "One of the nurses sat with her the whole time, comforting her and explaining what was happening. Mum still talks about that to this day."
There were other times when both parents required hospital care and had no family nearby, so staff helped them navigate the challenges of caring for Annie.
Zoe was discharged earlier in Pieter's recovery journey, spending months balancing her own rehabilitation with looking after Annie and making regular trips to PAH to support her husband.
During the 213 days Pieter spent at PAH, the couple marked many milestones including their second wedding anniversary and Annie learning to walk. The batteries in the wall clock even needed replacing before Pieter was well enough to leave.
Another major achievement was preserving the arm clinicians once feared could not be saved.
Discharge day arrived on 5 November 2026 with emotional PAH staff lining the ward hallway to give Pieter and his family a guard of honour as they walked out.
So many staff across the allied health, nursing, surgical and medical teams were involved in Pieter’s care and rehabilitation journey, making the milestone a whole of PAH celebration.
"I honestly don't think I would have survived if I hadn't come here to PA Hospital," Pieter said.
"Every concern was taken seriously. There were no shortcuts. Everyone gave everything they could to help me get better. Thanks to them, we get to go home together as a family."
A huge shout-out to every staff member at PAH who provided high-quality, compassionate care to the Jooste family throughout their extraordinary journey.