When a dirtbike crash left Jaimen Hudson a quadriplegic at the age of 17, he vowed that it wouldn’t stop him from living a life of purpose and adventure. He adopted the mantra “never waste a day.”
16 years on, Jaimen is married with two children and owns three tourism businesses in Esperance. While that sounds busy enough, the videos and photos that Jaimen takes with his drone camera of the stunning local landscapes and wildlife have attracted more than 250 million views online.
With partial use of his arms, Jaimen drives his modified vehicle along the Esperance coastline and uses his drone to capture playful dolphins or breaching whales from the beach.
“There is an element of luck, but I also search like no one’s business,” said Jaimen. “Every now and then you get a really unique moment - whales and dolphins playing together or a dolphin jumping over a rainbow – and those moments keep you addicted.”
One afternoon in April, Jaimen was heading to the beach when his 4WD wheelchair hit a boggy patch of sand, flipping it onto steep gravel. He fell out of his wheelchair – and was unlucky enough to break his neck for the second time in his life.
Just like after his first accident, the RFDS retrieved Jaimen so he could undergo surgery in Perth.
The crew were absolutely amazing and I remember a lot more of the flight this time. The first time (with RFDS) was obviously very distressing, going from being able-bodied to not being able to move at all.
Jaimen
In his recent accident, Jaimen’s neck was dislocated and broken in a different part to his original injury. He underwent a six-hour spinal surgery at Royal Perth Hospital, and it was a huge relief to him and his family that he’s retained the same level of function that he had before. Jaimen says he is extremely appreciative for the part RFDS played in transferring him to a tertiary hospital.
“As someone who lives regionally, I feel grateful for the fact there’s this service available that costs us nothing and can get you to the medical attention that you require as soon as possible.”
By winter, Jaimen was able to travel to NSW to experience the snow at Thredbo. He’s also been the subject of a documentary and travelled the world for photography jobs.
“I’ve done all sorts of crazy stuff that I never could have imagined all those years ago when I was lying in hospital,” said Jaimen. “I’m very lucky to lead an adventurous life thanks to droning.”
Jaimen was blown away by the supported he received by his photography fans after his accident.
“I get followers from landlocked countries who have never seen the ocean who can’t believe that what I share is real,” he said. “When I had my most recent accident, I received the most incredible messages from all over the world and that’s the really amazing side of social media.”
