Forklift driver on his dramatic Mount Maunganui crash and ‘hellish’ couple of years

Forklift driver Michael Gerbes has had a “hellish” couple of years. His Tauranga family lost their home in a devastating landslide shortly after his teenage son was diagnosed with cancer. Now Gerbes is recovering after his leg was pinned under a rolled 4000kg forklift. From his hospital bed, he tells Sandra Conchie he owes his life – and his leg – to a seatbelt and the “superhero” strangers who rushed to his aid.

“Brace yourself”, Michael Gerbes remembers telling himself as he saw “concrete chips flying up in the air” and realised the forklift he was driving was tipping over.

Training kicked in as the Mount Maunganui man gripped the steering wheel of the 4000kg machine “for dear life” to keep his arms from flying around. He tried to keep his legs inside “the cockpit” but his right leg had “different intentions”.

“It seemed to happen in slow-motion in a way,” he said.

“As the forklift hit the ground I heard a loud bang and a crunch, and realised my leg was pinned under it. I just started screaming help, help as loudly as I could until someone heard me.”

It was about 11am on Monday when Gerbes, known as Myk, was heading down Links Ave on his way to his employer’s yard on Cherokee Rd off Aerodrome Rd.

Police at the scene on Links Ave where a forklift rolled and trapped the driver's leg. Photo / Sandra Conchie

He said wearing his seatbelt prevented him from flying out of the cab when the forklift hit a concrete barrier, “bounced because it has no suspension” and tipped over, pinning his leg to the road.

“My first thought, with my leg stuck under the forklift from my toes to just above my right knee, was there was no way anyone could lift it off me in a hurry.”

Gerbes said nearby residents, who responded to his screams within seconds, proved him wrong.

“There was a lot of adrenalin pumping inside my body and plenty of deep breathing to try and stay calm while they were working to free my leg. I feared I was probably going to lose it or go into shock, pass out and not wake up again.

“My next thought was I don’t want to die here, I’m way too young for that. Because every time you read about a forklift or machinery incident there is a death.”

He said the “amazing” strangers used “two decent blocks of wood” to raise the forklift about 15-20cm to help relieve the pressure on his leg, before using car jacks and a car trolley.

Emergency services arrived soon after and used specialised rescue equipment to quickly free him, with Fire and Emergency station officer Paul van Kol praising the “Good Samaritans” who were first on the scene.

An emotional Gerbes said he cannot stop thinking about those who rushed to help him without hesitation or concern for their safety.

“It’s mind-blowing what they have done for me. I’m so thankful to everyone involved. If it wasn’t for their quick response I could have lost my leg or bled out.

“Once I got into the hospital I just broke down and started crying my eyes out. I was embarrassed but it was like ‘oh man I’m here’ And I might not have been if it wasn’t for their quick actions’.”

Gerbes said despite his injuries, he was “feeling good and very lucky” to be alive.

His right knee and kneecap were “good” but he had a broken bone in his foot and a 3–4cm deep puncture wound on the left side of his right knee, which kept seeping blood and he had surgery on.

“They opened the wound right up to clean it and to prevent infection and that’s when the surgeon noticed a lot of soft tissue and tendon damage in this same area.”

Forklift driver Michael Gerbes' injured right leg is now in a cast and his knee is bandaged up after his forklift rolled on to it. Photo / Michael Gerbes

There was also a “massive amount” of bruising and swelling.

Gerbes said he was discharged from the hospital on Wednesday night with his lower leg in a cast and his right knee bandaged.

He had a “concoction of pills” and strict instruction no weight-bearing was allowed, and was warned about the possibility of blood clots.

He said he may be off work for six weeks unless he needed more surgery.

Gerbes said he wanted to say a “huge thanks” to his rescuers, emergency services staff, police and hospital staff.

“People often say not all superheroes wear capes. It is so true with all these people.”

Rebecca Hayes (left), Campbell Hayes, 14, and Mikaere Gerbes, 16, on the night of the slip.

Gerbes said it had been a “hellish” two years for him and his family.

On Auckland Anniversary weekend 2023, Gerbes and his partner Rebecca Hayes’ rented home on Egret Ave, Maungatapu, was destroyed by a landslide in torrential rain. They found themselves homeless, without cars and possessions. He and his partner now own their home in Ohauiti.

Two weeks earlier their then-16-year-old son Mikaere (Mickey) was diagnosed with stage 4 Hodgkin’s lymphoma, which spread to his liver. Mikaere underwent several courses of chemotherapy to kill the cancer, Gerbes said.

The Links Ave accident scene where forklift driver Michael Gerbes was pinned underneath the machine after it struck a concrete barrier near the Links Ave Reserve on August 5. Photo / Sandra Conchie

Unfortunately, six months later they were told Mickey’s cancer had come back “harder and faster”. Now aged 18, Mickey had three more chemotherapy treatments and underwent a stem cell transplant at Waikato Hospital in June and July this year.

Gerbes said it had been a “challenging” two years, but said his big “tight-knit” family supported each other, especially during the tough times.

Senior Sergeant Wayne Hunter, the head of the Western Bay road policing team said the exact cause of the accident was still being investigated.

Sandra Conchie is a senior journalist at the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post who has been a journalist for 24 years. She covers mainly police, court and other justice stories, as well as general news. She has been a Canon Media Awards regional/community reporter of the year.