George Thompson will never forget Valentine’s Day for all the wrong reasons.

On February 14, 2020, the farmer wasn’t meant to be working but one of his team called in sick, so his alarm went off at 4.30am and he was straight into his work on the rolling terrain.

He was managing a 450-cow herd and had been working on the same farm for 23 years.

Thompson was tired from a big week. He was driving his quad bike when something distracted him in his peripheral vision. He later learned that it was a cow upside down in the drain.

One moment of distraction was all it took as the then 63-year-old drove his quad bike headfirst into the drain.

“It all happened so quickly,” said Thompson. “I remember standing up and thinking ‘man that hurt’, and next thing my legs just gave way on me.

“I slid down into the drain, and I had all these tingling feelings in my fingers … I knew I was in trouble.”

Thompson managed to get his phone out of his top pocket, and he swiped the last person, his colleague Darryl Ryan, he had rung the night before. Ryan knew exactly where he was, and he called an ambulance and Thompson’s wife, Jane.

Thompson, a farmer of 38 years, was lying in the drain and holding his neck in place as he waited for help.

Around an hour later, three ambulances, the fire brigade and a helicopter arrived at the scene to get him to Wellington Hospital for emergency surgery.

When Thompson saw Jane he said, with his dry sense of humour: “Happy Valentine’s Day honey.

“She came rushing down and called me a bloody idiot,” he said with a laugh.

He had a few days in Wellington Hospital. Their worst fears were confirmed when he was told that had fractured his neck and damaged his spinal cord.

George Thompson working to regain some mobility in the Burwood Spinal Unit in 2020. He broke his neck in a farming accident.

He was given a 20% chance of walking again. His long road to recovery began with six months in the Burwood Spinal Unit in Christchurch.

“It was hard to get my head around it all,” he said. “One minute I was on my farm and loving my life in my dream job and the next I was in the spinal unit and not sure what the future held.”

But Thompson never got down. He said the other patients in the Burwood Spinal Unit gave him perspective.

“I would say to my psychiatrist, ‘listen, I’ve got nothing to complain about, because next door is [another patient] Mr Pickles, who was paralysed from the neck down and has it much tougher than me’.”

George Thompson in the Burwood Spinal Unit. He says the laughter and banter with other patients got him through the hardest time in his life.

Thompson set about achieving his goal of walking out of the Burwood Spinal Unit.

He said the laughter and banter with other patients got him through the hardest time in his life.

“When they gave me a 20% chance of walking, I just took that with both arms.”

Thompson was determined to prove them wrong. He met with his physio at Burwood, Quinn, and they formed a great partnership.

“I remember she gave me a sheet of paper, and all it had was ‘Can’t' written on it. I said, what’s this? She said it is the only word I don’t accept.”

It was long and slow progress, but he achieved his goal which was an emotional moment.

He said ACC has been a huge support in every step of his rehabilitation.

“I can’t complain about anything. Everyone I have dealt with has been marvellous and I am grateful for everything they have done for me.”

Thompson got walking again and has made huge progress.

In 2024 he and Andrew Leslie, who he met during his time in the Burwood Spinal Unit, walked the Abel Tasman National Park together and this year he and his wife are planning a trip to Europe.

Thompson still works part-time as a farmer, caretaking for farmers so they can have a break. He has great advice for anyone in the industry.

George Thompson said the laughter and banter with other patients got him through the hardest time in his life.

“It’s the best job in the world, but you have to look after yourself,” he said.

“Make sure you have got the right people to support you on the farm and watch out for signs of stress and fatigue. I made a simple mistake because I was tired and wasn’t thinking clearly.

“Don’t take life so seriously. You have got to get off farm and give yourself that break. It is so important for you physically and mentally.”

In 2024, ACC accepted 23,440 farming-related injury claims at a cost of $120 million to help people recover. This was the highest number of claims since 2021 and the highest cost in the past five years.

ACC and Safer Farms have announced a new partnership to reduce harm, injuries and fatalities in the agricultural sector.

The partnership will see over $11m invested by ACC over the next five years, supporting the agriculture sector in the implementation of Safer Farms’ innovative grassroots Farm Without Harm strategy.

“We’re committed to driving positive, enduring change for New Zealand’s agricultural sector and we believe Safer Farms is key to supporting that commitment,” said Andy Milne, ACC deputy chief executive strategy, engagement and prevention.

Milne said they’re focused on supporting the agriculture sector in ways that are practical, impactful and sustainable.

Thompson added: “This is great to see. The farm is a dangerous environment, and our young farmers come in and after a few months, think they know it all.

“They need that guidance and experience around them to support their decision making. The more we can do to promote safety on the farm in a practical way, the better.

“My story shows that one mistake can have a lifelong consequence.”

ACC and Safer Farms

The key focus areas in the action plan are:

- Psychosocial risks resulting in diminished wellbeing

- Harm experienced while working in and around vehicles and mobile plant

- Muscular stress and injury caused by livestock handling

- Harm caused by exposure to agricultural chemicals and airborne risks

For more information: Farm Without Harm.