While he's since passed on his thanks to the doctors and nurses that saved his life, Andrew Corby would like to say thank you to the paramedics at the Westpac Rescue Helicopter service and Liverpool, Canberra and Goulburn hospital.

Riding a trail bike on an isolated property between Taralga and the Blue Mountains on July 21, 2001, Andrew Corby hit a log and found himself sandwiched between his bike and a tree.

Andrew initially thought he had broken his back but it turned out he had lacerated his intestines.

He would've died if it hadn't been for the Westpac Rescue Helicopter and paramedics who transported him to Liverpool Hospital for life saving surgery.

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"It was as close as you can get. My parents were warned, driving up, that I might not make it," he said

"The paramedics played a huge role in saving my life and I never thanked them. I just want to praise the guys who looked after me.

"To the paramedics who saved my life, you have given me the chance to lead a great, rewarding life. I can never thank you enough. You should be extremely proud of the work you do and I will always be grateful.

"The helicopter had to land about 4km away and the paramedics had to be transported up to me in the dark, on the back of motocross bikes, up steep single line trails meant for experienced riders only."

"There is no mistaking that without the work of the paramedics from Goulburn ambulance and the Westpac helicopter I would have died."

Andrew spent 12 weeks in and out of hospital as he recovered from surgery to his stomach to stop the bleeding.

"I had three major surgeries," he said.

"The first one was a life saving surgery. If I had been 30 minutes later [to the hospital], I would've died.

"I was left open for two days after surgery [due to swelling and for the next surgery], where clear contact was placed over my stomach.

"I couldn't see [the open wound] because I was in a neck brace but my friends who were with me from the accident could see my insides."

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Andrew had two further surgeries to remove adhesion (scar tissue) from his abdomen and during that time period he lost 30 kg.

Since the accident Andrew hasn't owned a bike for 15 years and hasn't ridden one for 10 years.

"In a time in my life, like most young men, I thought I was indestructible. It would never happen to me. I was obsessed with riding my dirt bike. The weekends couldn't come quick enough. I was always off racing or practising motocross somewhere or just trail riding with mates," he said.

"It doesn't take much to make a mistake, no matter how much experience you have. The better you get, the faster you go, the less falls you make but the bigger they are [when you make them]."

Westpac Life Saver Helicopter Service chief executive officer Stephen Leahy said that they had reached out to Andrew.

"We can confirm that we attended the accident [18 years ago]," he said.

Mr Leahy said that the role of the Westpac Life Saver Helicopter had changed since the accident.

"Our whole structure has changed over the last 10 years," he said.

"We no longer transport patience to hospitals. The ambulance helicopter is now done by Ambulance NSW. We are now a search and rescue service and help on the behalf of the police. We aid in looking for missing bushwalkers and people missing in the sea."

The Sydney and Moruya bases for the Westpac Live Safer Helicopter service the Southern Highlands.

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