A man is fighting for his life in hospital after a horror motorbike crash into a guardrail in Jamberoo.
The crash occurred at 2.40pm on Saturday when the man lost control of his bike on a bend and slammed into a guardrail near Jamberoo Action Park.
"He had ruptured his lung and was coughing up pink frothy blood," NSW Ambulance Illawarra district inspector Terry Morrow.
On Monday afternoon the 30-year-old man remained in St George Hospital in a critical but stable condition, a hospital spokeswoman said.
It was the first to two accidents on the section of Jamberoo Road on Saturday afternoon.
Moments after the man crashed off his Husqvarna bike, a 50-year-old woman who was following behind on a green Kawasaki braked to avoid the crash and also slid into the railing.
If it wasn't for my crew of intensive care and general duty paramedics treating him appropriately, he probably would have died.
- NSW Ambulance Inspector Tim Morrow
"She did not make contact with the first motorcycle and was not injured," a NSW Police spokesperson said.
Passers-by were the first to stop and help following the crash, with paramedics arriving within six minutes of the triple-0 call.
Insp Morrow said the team of intensive care and general duty paramedics had "worked strenuously" to save the man's life.
Paramedics performed "significant resuscitation" on the patient, inserting a needle into his chest to relieve the pressure and providing artificial ventilation.
He was taken by road to the Albion Park chopper base, where a doctor assisted in performing a surgical procedure on his chest in order to keep him alive.
"He's a very lucky man," Insp Morrow said.
"If it wasn't for my crew of intensive care and general duty paramedics treating him appropriately, he probably would have died.
"I'm really proud of them for looking after him the right way; I supervised and they did everything exactly by the book."
The road was blocked off for around 90 minutes as crash scene detectives remained on scene.
Police have called on anyone who witnessed the crash or has dashcam footage to call Lake Illawarra Police Station on 4232 5599 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Jamberoo Rural Fire Service, who also rendered assistance, urged road users to drive responsibly in the wake of the horror crash.
"Please take this as a reminder that the roads can be dangerous and we all need to drive to the conditions and our own abilities," the post read.
"Even then, accidents can happen.
"We wish the patient in this case a speedy recovery and thank our colleagues at NSW Ambulance and Lake Illawarra Police District for their response and professionalism.
"These events can be traumatic for all those involved, so let's drive safely out there so we don't need to respond to them in the future."
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Tareyn Varley
For the past 15 years, I've been toiling away behind the scenes on story ideas, web production, headline writing, home page editing and social media management. I'm passionate about passing the mic to Illawarra residents who find themselves with no power and no voice.
For the past 15 years, I've been toiling away behind the scenes on story ideas, web production, headline writing, home page editing and social media management. I'm passionate about passing the mic to Illawarra residents who find themselves with no power and no voice.
Nadine Morton
Breaking news journalist at the Illawarra Mercury. Email: nadine.morton@austcommunitymedia.com.au
Breaking news journalist at the Illawarra Mercury. Email: nadine.morton@austcommunitymedia.com.au
