"The message he conveyed was powerful and our students responded very positively to both him and his message. I think some genuinely re-thought their behaviour on and around trains, and towards people like Jonathan, injured when indulging in risky behaviours. The talk was a great introduction into the Right Track program for us."
Cyril Jackson Senior Campus
Jonathan Beninca was a typical teenager, just like you. And, just like you, Jonathan thought he was invincible. When he was 19, Jonathan was out one night catching up with friends and missed his last train home. Jonathan then made the choice to jump down on the tracks and throw rocks at the stationary trains as he walked home. His next recollection was waking up in hospital, minus his right arm and a leg, as well as some fingers on his left hand. He later discovered that one of those rocks had rebounded with enough force to crack his skull and knock him out cold on the tracks, where the first train of the morning found him.
While his dangerous short cut changed his life forever, he now visits teenagers to talk to them about the consequences of unsafe choices and anti-social behaviour on or around public transport.
The Right Track program brings Jonathan over to Perth twice a year to visit lots of schools and youth organisations and tell his story in the hopes of saving people from making dangerous choices and ending up a double amputee like him, or worse.
His interesting, funny, and at times gruesome tale covers things like the difference between a good friend who tells you not to do crazy things and a bad friend who might egg you on; how it feels to look like him and have to ask a girl out; and how his injury has affected his family, friends, and the people who responded first such as the Train Driver and Transit Officers.
If you would like to hear Jonathan’s story, talk to your teacher and ask them to contact therighttrack@pta.wa.gov.au
Check out his availability and book in for his next visit HERE!
Watch a short film of Jonathan's story here - The Wrong Side of the Tracks