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Corey Thompson and Kendra Smith in their room at Wellington Hospital, where they got engaged.
A couple injured in a serious accident get engaged after a hospital bed proposal.
But the special moment is tinged with sadness, after they learned that their unborn child had not survived and the boy’s father had lost a leg.
Paraparaumu’s partner, Kendra Smith, 26, and Corey Thompson, 32, were airlifted to Wellington Hospital after the motorcycle they were riding on and a truck were involved in an accident near hau, south from Levin on Tuesday afternoon.
Smith was 15 weeks pregnant and had a baby. It would have been the couple’s first child together. Smith has a son from a previous relationship and Thompson has three daughters.
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New Zealand Transport Agency
Traffic stopped near Ōhau on Tuesday after the accident.
Smith and Thompson share a hospital room and when they reunited, after initially being in separate rooms, Thompson proposed to Smith.
“When we were first put in the same room, Corey asked me to marry him,” Smith said from his hospital bed.
“Now we are engaged. That’s good news to get out of this.
“He said, ‘I know I can’t kneel, but will you marry me?'”
Smith and Thompson were heading to Levin to help Thompson’s brother, who had run out of gas.
The couple have undergone major operations at the hospital. Thompson has lost his right leg, but one of his arms has been saved through surgery.
Rods have been inserted into Smith’s right leg. After her operation for this, she and Thompson learned that their son had not survived.
“I could potentially lose [my leg], depending on muscle and tissue damage, “he said.
“I have to go to Lower Hutt sometime and meet with the plastic surgeon.”
They face more operations to repair soft tissue damage and could be out of work for 12-18 months.
Smith said Thompson was stable.
Thompson is a painter, while Smith started a cleaning business, Keke Klean, last year. She stopped working when she got pregnant, so the chemicals didn’t harm her son, but she planned to return.
Smith moved to Kāpiti Coast from Featherston, Wairarapa, where she was president of the Featherston Rugby Club.
There, and with the Kāpiti Bears league club alongside Thompson, he worked to get young people involved in the sport.
“My main reason for that is to try to get kids out of trouble through physical education. That is why we have tried to get all young people to play league and rugby ”.
Smith said he didn’t want to talk about the accident, but with the prospect of long periods off work, the couple’s bills weren’t going to go away.
Family friend Ritchie Wards has created a Givealittle page to help with costs not covered by ACC.
Wards said, “This will go a long way in helping these amazing people in their lifelong recovery and supporting their children.”
He said the couple were “wonderful, committed parents.”
Police are investigating the accident, which closed State Highway 1 for nearly four hours.
