Surgery needed after jet ski accident

Waikato Hospital

A Hawke's Bay businessman underwent lengthy surgery on his face yesterday, after being struck in the head by a moving jet ski.

Tom McKimm, part of the Big Save Furniture chain, had been racing on a private lake when he fell from the jet ski he was driving and was hit by another which had been following close behind.

Last Sunday's accident resulted in multiple facial fractures which required an operation at Waikato Hospital.

"It's one of those things, when you're 35 you think you are bullet-proof and 55-feet high," father Ray McKimm said.

"He fractured a number of bones in his forehead, which needed the surgery."

Mr McKimm was still waiting to hear how everything went last night, but a hospital spokesperson said Tom was stable in a ward last night and the outlook was good.

"He's going to be fine, the long-term outcome is fine - as you can imagine it's a huge operation," Mr McKimm said. "It's going to be weeks of recovery and a couple of months before he can get back in the seat again."

Tom had been overseeing a number of projects throughout New Zealand, which he would not be able to follow through, as he took time off to heal.

Mr McKimm stayed positive and remained philosophical about the incident.

"They were just racing on a lake and he fell, it's just unfortunate the jet ski behind hit him, these things happen. The recovery will take a bit of time but these things happen."