Triple Richmond premiership player Bachar Houli has opened up on the horrific injuries he suffered in northeast Victoria earlier this year.
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The 35-year-old, who played 232 games for the Tigers and Essendon, was driving a Jeep on private property off Alpine Way at Bringenbrong, between Corryong and Khancoban, in June before it rolled.
He suffered a broken pelvis, broken shoulder and a punctured lung during the incident, which saw him initially taken to Albury hospital before being transferred to Melbourne for further treatment.
Speaking to the Herald Sun about the crash involving himself, a friend and his brother in law, Houli said "God saved us".
"It happened too quick," Houli said.
I was in mid-air, not even 10 seconds then bang. I got spat outside, thrown out of the roof and knocked out.
"It turns out we'd slipped on a little ledge and then the slope of the mountain got the better of me.
"The car tipped over and off it went.
"I did everything right, you look back and ask, could I have done anything different?
"Not one thing I could have done differently, it was just this one slip.
"It was a Sunday morning, the farmer wasn't working and normally the farmer has dinner with us every night but we weren't actually having dinner with him that night because he had plans elsewhere so it could have been a couple of days before anyone found us.
"God saved us.
"We have done something right in our life and we live another day to tell the story."
Houli won three premierships with Richmond over his 15-year career at the top level.
He retired from the AFL in 2021 but continued his advocacy through his foundation, which works to build young leaders within the Muslim community.
Xavier Mardling
Xavier started at The Border Mail in Albury-Wodonga in 2001, covering sport and general news before moving to the subs' desk. He was editor of his hometown masthead from 2016 to 2020 before swapping the Murray for Merewether. He returned to The Border Mail as editor in 2023.
Xavier started at The Border Mail in Albury-Wodonga in 2001, covering sport and general news before moving to the subs' desk. He was editor of his hometown masthead from 2016 to 2020 before swapping the Murray for Merewether. He returned to The Border Mail as editor in 2023.
