John Clabburn Dies: Australian TV Director Victim Of Freak Accident, Was 52
John Clabburn, a TV director for three decades on such Australian shows as Home And Away, Underbelly, Survivor, LoveChild, The Wiggles and Wonderland, died April 6 at his home in Sydney.
Clabburn was trimming hedges with a new power saw at his home when he cut his hand. He fell ten feet from his ladder and was soon discovered by his wife. He had just bought the chain saw that day.
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His death was attributed to cardiac arrest from the blood loss from his slashed hand.
“When I went out to the back garden, he was crawling on the ground on his stomach, said Clabburn’s wife, Melissa, speaking to the Daily Telegraph. “There was so much blood, he was clutching his torso.
“I kept getting towels to stem the flow, but the blood wouldn’t stop.”
“All he said was, ‘Call an ambulance now,’” she said. “One minute we were admiring how straight the hedge was looking and what a great job he had done — he was so meticulous, he had a great eye for detail — the next, John was in an ambulance. He kept it together for me, but I know he would have been in incredible pain.”
Survivors include his wife and two sons, Josh, 23, and Lewis, 21.
A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to assist the family with expenses.
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