CANBERRA, March 22 (Xinhua) -- A pair of British backpackers who were left stranded in the Australian Outback when their vehicle flipped have said they were "very fortunate" to survive.
Brad Warren, 21, and Oliver Walker, 22, were both seriously injured when they lost control of their four-wheel-drive vehicle deep in the South Australian outback in mid-March.
Walker was thrown from the window of the vehicle and left bloodied and unconscious while Warren was temporarily half-blind from a scratch to his eye.
Both men feared for their life while they waited for help on the remote 620-km Oodnadatta Track.
"When we started rolling, I closed my eyes and thought you're dying, you just have to let this happen," Warren told News Corp Australia on Thursday.
"Next thing I was crawling out the wreckage to find Ollie lying face down. He was bloody and unconscious: I thought he was dead for about 20 seconds.
"We were very, very lucky. There was definitely a high chance of death from this sort of accident, so the injuries we escaped with are very fortunate."
The men built a tent to provide shelter from the unrelenting sun but were miraculously saved when a couple drove past and stopped to help.
James Lescohier and Laura Matthews both had a medical background and had a satellite phone which allowed them to call for help.
The British men, who were in Australia on a three-month gap year trip, were rushed to the Royal Adelaide Hospital by the Royal Flying Doctors Service where they received treatment for their injuries.
Walker was diagnosed with fractured ribs, a punctured lung and various other cuts and scratches while Warren is receiving ongoing treatment for a scraped cornea.
"James and Laura were so good to us, they saved our lives," Warren said.
"The car and our possessions are ruined, but it's very good to be alive. That's the main thing we're taking away from this."
