John's story
Making the roads safer is Senior Constable John Kenworthy’s passion.
In fact, since joining the Queensland Police Service and becoming a motorcycle traffic officer, he has built a career around it.
Senior Constable John Kenworthy: My name's John Kenworthy. I'm a Senior Constable of Police. The day of the crash was a Sunday. I was just about ready to head back home and get ready for my speed camera shift.
There was a call for anyone to respond to a serious injury traffic crash at a place called Calen, which was, I dunno, maybe 10 or 15 minutes up the road from where I was. I headed north and then, got onto the, the road that we believed the crash was on.
While I was patrolling for the car, I'm searching side to side and come up, road's going around to the right, and I just realised straight away that I wasn't going to make it.
So, I pulled on a whole heap of handlebars, front hand brake clutch, and it was just going straight off the road, down through a hedge, through a barbed wire fence, barbed wire's come up into the helmet, and, um, that's pretty much where my life changed.
Over the next week, they did like three or four operations to rebuild the eye sockets that had been broken as part of the crash. They stitched the eye, the right eye, the left eye is still there, but it's, that's never going to function again.
Senior Sergeant Mick Moate: When John got here, we did an assessment of the workplace and we started looking at what his needs were and it sort of grew from there. Since John has been here, it's been incredible. He's always been positive. Nothing's an issue for John. If there are things that impact him in the work that he's doing, well, then we look at what we can do, whether that's getting equipment with headphones or computer systems, that type of thing to make his job better.
Senior Constable John Kenworthy: The QPS, Queensland Police Service, they have done absolutely everything that they can to, to help me along and make sure that everything's worked. And it, it has, so far, it's worked brilliantly.
So I'm typing transcripts for things like telephone intercepts, things like listening devices, that sort of thing. So I feel like I'm, you know, really contributing again to the organisation.
Tegan Shuker, Case Manager: He's just, he's honestly inspirational. I know he hates people saying that he is, but he, yeah, he is just a really motivated, driven individual and it has been an absolute pleasure to be in that journey. He's honestly, he's an inspiration.
Senior Sergeant Mick Moate: What he's brought to the station and to this station has been so significant. He's incredibly experienced in, his line of policing, also traffic policing. He lights up the day room when he comes to work. He's very engaging with myself, all the staff.
Senior Constable John Kenworthy: Yeah, it's been pretty overwhelming, actually. The amount of support that I've had from WorkCover and from NIISQ (The National Injury Insurance Scheme, Queensland) has been brilliant. Without this happening, I wouldn't have met any of you. You know, and you've changed my life. You've absolutely changed my life. There's been so many people that have been just amazing.
The best advice I can give to people is, it's every second in your life is important and just make the most of it. You know, it would've been easy just to sit back and say, well, you know, why bother? But why not?
For anyone who's ever had a speeding fine through a speed camera - sorry about that - for the last couple of years, it hasn't been me! [laughs]
Sadly, it was while on duty keeping others safe on the roads that his own life would change.
In the decades he’d been riding motorbikes, John had never had a crash, until one Sunday in August 2020.
While stationed at Mackay, John responded to a call for help for a serious injury traffic crash at Calen, where four people including two young children were trapped in a vehicle.
“I'm searching side to side and come up, road's going around to the right, and I just realised straight away that I wasn't going to make it,” John said.
“It was just going straight off the road, down through a hedge, through a barbed wire fence, barbed wire's come up into the helmet, and that's pretty much where my life changed.”
John suffered significant injuries to his eyes, as well as face fractures and lacerations. While he’s regained some sight through multiple surgeries, he is now legally blind in both eyes.
John relocated to Brisbane in mid-2021 and was stationed at Mango Hill North Lakes Police Station.
Officer in Charge, Senior Sergeant Mick Moate, said that when John arrived, it was a matter of working out what John’s needs were, assessing the workplace and providing some adjustments.
Senior Sergeant Mick Moate
He said that John is invaluable to the station in terms of his outlook, police experience, and skillset.
“What he's brought to the station has been so significant. He's incredibly experienced in his line of policing, also traffic policing. He lights up the day room when he comes to work.”
John said it’s been rewarding to return to meaningful police work, as well as making a difference through his road safety advocacy and community work.
John Kenworthy
For workers who have been seriously injured in a motor vehicle accident at work, WorkCover collaborates with NIISQ (the National Injury Insurance Scheme Queensland), which funds necessary treatment, care and support for people like John who fit their criteria.
“It's been pretty overwhelming, actually. The amount of support that I've had from WorkCover and from NIISQ has been brilliant… You've absolutely changed my life,” John said.
“The best advice I can give to people is, it's every second in your life is important and just make the most of it. You know, it would've been easy just to sit back and say, well, you know, why bother? But why not?”