Great-grandmother held Tony Modra’s hand after crash

Linda Cameron was the first to stop after Tony Modra’s truck crashed on Thursday evening on Range Road at Back Valley, on the Fleurieu Peninsula, holding his hand through freezing conditions. Modra, 57, remains in intensive care at Flinders Medical Centre afte

It was the grip that stayed with Linda Cameron in the hours after Tony Modra’s truck crash—his hand loosening, the cold that made her fear the worst, and her decision that she wouldn’t leave.

Cameron. a 78-year-old great-grandmother from South Australia. was the first person to reach Modra after his truck crashed on Range Road at Back Valley on the Fleurieu Peninsula on Thursday evening. She said she had no idea the badly injured man beside the road was one of the most famous footballers in South Australian history. All she knew was that he needed help.

“I was so frightened for him, and got out of the car and ran down,” Cameron told Channel Nine. She described what she found: Modra “was clutching his face and there was a lot of blood.”

In the bitter cold, Cameron said she ran to her own car for tissues and blankets, then returned to stay with him while emergency crews were called and arrived. She held Modra’s hand and reassured him she was not leaving.

“Then I said ‘Keep your hand there, and keep it tight’ and then I thought ‘oh God, he is going to get really cold because it was freezing.’”

Modra. 57. remains in intensive care at Flinders Medical Centre after suffering serious facial injuries when a tree branch smashed through the windscreen of his truck. While fears for his life initially gripped the football world. there was a welcome shift on Friday when it emerged he was no longer facing a life-threatening situation.

Cameron said his grip loosened “every now and again,” which frightened her. “The wind was bitter,” she added, and she could hear him saying his name—“Tony”—as she kept talking and telling him she would stay.

“I could just hear him [say his name was] ‘Tony’, and I told him my name and I said ‘I’m not going anywhere. I’m going to stay with you’.”

She also said she repeatedly encouraged Modra to keep pressure on his injuries while they waited. Using tissues from her car, Cameron told how she managed the bleeding herself until help arrived.

“I remembered I had a box of tissues in the car and they were nearly full and so I grabbed them and ran back again and took a big wad out and placed them on the wound. ” Cameron said. “I said. ‘Hold on to that. push on to that and keep it there’ and I could see that it was helping to stem the loss of blood.”.

In the hours that followed, the same stakes she described became the story the AFL community clung to. Veteran AFL journalist Jon Ralph reported Modra had undergone surgery on his cheek, jaw and eye socket, with those close to him believing he was now out of danger.

Ralph said on Kayo Sports that the update was “overwhelmingly positive,” describing the situation as having moved from life-and-death fears to survival and recovery.

“I can give you the very latest news, and it is overwhelmingly positive. This is no longer a threat of life or death,” Ralph said.

He added that, after “grave fears for his life,” Modra had taken “significant steps forward in the last 12 hours.” Ralph said Modra is still in ICU but “he is stable,” and that surgery had been completed on “his cheek, jaw and eye socket” after injuries that had been threatening.

“He’s still in ICU, but he is stable. He’s had surgery today on his cheek, jaw and eye socket. But those injuries are no longer life threatening,” Ralph said. He described the road ahead as lengthy. adding that Modra would likely “emerge with some battle scars” and remain in hospital “for the foreseeable future.”.

That belief in recovery was echoed through Modra’s wife, Erica, who thanked the people who stepped in first. Her message was delivered by former teammate and close friend Mark Ricciuto on Triple M Adelaide.

“She wants to say a very big thank you to the first responders, called Sarah and Anthony, who saved his life and helped talk through to Erica while things were going down,” Ricciuto said.

Ricciuto later revealed Erica was optimistic despite the severity of the injuries. “She said he’s going all right. It’s pretty amazing that he’s got through it,” he said. He also shared a lighter moment from Erica’s reaction to the injuries.

“She said to me before he’s not going to be the same good looking Tony Modra. He’s going to have some scars.”

As the football world rallied, tributes poured in from across the game. Adelaide chief executive Tim Silvers said the club was devastated by the accident. saying. “We love him. we adore him. he’s a legend of the industry to be honest and our thoughts and prayers are with him – we’re hoping he pulls through.”.

Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir described Modra as a cherished part of the Dockers family. “He’s a big part of the Freo family,” Longmuir said.

South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas also paid tribute to the former full-forward, calling him “Mods is an SA icon who has never forgotten where he came from. Down to earth and just a really good bloke.”

Modra played 165 AFL games across distinguished careers with Adelaide and Fremantle. kicking 588 goals and becoming one of the most popular players of his era through his spectacular marking and prolific goal-kicking. He was a three-time Mark of the Year winner and the 1997 Coleman Medallist. earning cult hero status in South Australia where he was affectionately known as ‘Godra’.

For Cameron, the relief came from the fact she happened to be there when it happened. “I’m just so glad I was there to help him,” she said—an ordinary decision on a freezing roadside that turned into a moment of survival for an AFL legend.

Tony Modra AFL Adelaide Crows Fremantle Dockers truck crash Linda Cameron Flinders Medical Centre ICU Sarah and Anthony first responders Mark Ricciuto Jon Ralph Peter Malinauskas