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The family of a young man who was trapped under 1.5m of sand on a popular beach are facing an “incredibly challenging journey” as he continues to fight for life.
Josh Taylor, 25, had no pulse for 45 minutes after the horrific incident on Bribie Island on Saturday afternoon. It took 15 men to finally pull him out of the sand pit.
His friends and family took turns providing CPR until he was airlifted to Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane.
He remains in critical but stable condition as of Tuesday afternoon.
TO GoFundMe campaign It launched on Tuesday and had raised $15,000 in its first three hours.
Josh Taylor (right) fell into a hole dug to cook a pig on Bribie Island.
More than a dozen men, including paramedics and friends of Mr Taylor, worked to pull him out of the hole.
The fundraiser is trying to raise $60,000 to help the Taylor family cover medical costs.
“We come to you today with a heavy heart and ask for your support for the Taylor family,” wrote fundraiser organizer Georgia Hoffman.
‘The unimaginable has happened to their beloved son, Josh, a vibrant, adventurous soul who has brought so much joy to those around him.
‘Recently, Josh suffered a tragic accident on Bribie Island which left him in a critical condition.
“His family now faces an incredibly challenging journey.”
Hoffman said any donation would allow the Taylor family to dedicate themselves to helping him.
“The Taylor family needs to focus completely on Josh,” she said.
‘In this time of pain and uncertainty, we have the power to make a meaningful difference.
‘Your contribution, no matter the size, will be a great help to them.
“It will allow them to prioritize their attention without additional external stresses and allow them to focus on what really matters: Josh.”
As donations continue to come in, some people are leaving messages for Josh and his parents, Belinda and Peter Taylor.
“We are thinking of his family at this devastatingly difficult time,” the Adler family wrote after donating money to the campaign.
Queensland paramedics and the crew of a RACQ Lifeflight rescue helicopter were called to take Mr Taylor to hospital.
Taylor remains in critical condition after being buried alive
Messages of support have also been shared on social networks, hoping for the recovery of the young man who enters his third day in intensive care.
“Prayers to you and your family, you’re going to get through this buddy,” a friend wrote on Facebook.
“Thoughts are with you Joshy,” wrote another. Wests Brisbane Junior Rugby League Club shared a message from the Taylor family with its members asking for prayers to help Josh “move through”.
“I have some very sad news: the man who was buried in Bribie is Josh, Squizzy’s son,” the message read.
“We are all devastated and praying for him.”
A witness who helped rescue Mr Taylor was told the group had dug the sand pit to cook a pig, similar to the traditional Maori style of hangi cooking.
A witness said Taylor stood up from his chair, lost his balance and stumbled into the 1.5 meter hole, and the walls of the pit collapsed on top of him.
A beachgoer named Nathan was leaving with his family when a group of men ran screaming for help to rescue their friend from under the sand.
Pictured: Emergency services at the scene of Saturday’s tragedy.
QAS paramedic Peter Batt attended the scene on Bribie Island on 2 December.
Josh Taylor’s family remains by his side at Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane
When he arrived at the scene, Mr Taylor’s family and friends were desperately digging to get him out.
“I realized someone was headfirst in a hole and I was just digging, digging, digging,” he said.
‘When I first went into the hole, I couldn’t even see his foot. That’s how deep it was.
He told NCA NewsWire there were more than 15 people digging in the sand to get the man out before paramedics and rangers arrived.
‘His whole family was shouting at us, asking us for help, telling us to get a rope so they could get him out. It was pretty scary,” Nathan said.
“There were about 15 men pulling the rope and he didn’t move.”
After some time of pulling and digging, Mr. Taylor finally broke the surface of the sand, but the force of the pulling caused him further injuries, Nathan said.
“It was pretty gnarly when it came out. I threw up,” she said.
‘He broke. The suction, the force of everyone pulling.
When he was removed, Mr. Taylor had no pulse and rangers began performing CPR on him.
Area rangers also applied a defibrillator before paramedics arrived.
It is understood it was 45 minutes before the man regained his pulse.