The family of a 25-year-old rigger who died following a workplace accident in Wollongong has reunited with the paramedics who responded to the scene, thanking them for making it possible to say a final goodbye — and for enabling Nic Bryant to donate four organs that are now improving the lives of others.

Nic Bryant, originally from Umina on the Central Coast, was fatally injured while working at a North Wollongong construction site last May. Paramedics worked extensively to stabilise him before he was airlifted to St George Hospital, where he died three days later. Safe Work New South Wales is continuing to investigate the circumstances of his death.

A Reunion With the Paramedics Who Responded

In a rare and emotional meeting, Nic's siblings Amber and Sam Bryant, sister Jayda, and his girlfriend Macey Cooper visited the Fairy Meadow ambulance crew to express their gratitude in person. For the family, it formed an important part of coming to terms with their loss.

Paramedic Adam Blanning was among those who responded to the scene — a situation he described as all too familiar in his line of work. He said the reunion was a meaningful opportunity.

"It's great to know they appreciate our efforts," Mr Blanning said.

NSW Ambulance Chief Inspector Norm Rees, who has spent four decades in the job, said such reunions with the families of those who have died are extraordinarily uncommon — recalling only four instances throughout his entire career.

"Everyone needs closure," Chief Inspector Rees said, adding that the Bryant family deserved to be acknowledged for their decision to proceed with organ donation.

Four Organs, Four Lives Changed

Despite the weight of their grief, the Bryant family has drawn comfort from knowing that Nic's heart, kidneys, pancreas and liver are now helping four separate recipients — an outcome doctors described as rare.

"We've heard that all of them are doing really, really well," Amber Bryant said. "Even doctors have said to be able to help so many people is such a rare thing, as some people only get to donate one or two organs."

Because of Nic's young age and the sudden nature of his death, organ donation had never been formally discussed within the family. But Amber said she had no doubt about what her brother would have wanted.

"I know he would have turned around and said, 'Well, I'm not using them.' So it was no questions asked. I just said, 'Take what you can,'" she said.

Macey Cooper described Nic as the "most loving man you could ever come across." In the weeks before the accident, he had been commuting four hours a day to reach the Wollongong job site — one she said he "absolutely loved."

Who Was Nic Bryant?

The Bryant family described Nic as a beloved brother, son, partner and father who would "give the shirt off his back" for others. Amber said that despite an age gap between them, her brother was a huge part of her life. The family noted that Nic had embraced Wollongong as a second home and genuinely enjoyed the work that brought him there.

"Because of them, other people get to live and live full lives," Amber said of the paramedics who kept Nic alive long enough for the family to gather and consent to donation.

A Call to Register — and to Talk to Your Family

With Donate Life Week approaching later this month, Amber Bryant used the reunion to urge Australians not only to register as organ donors, but to make sure their loved ones know their wishes — a step that can spare families an agonising decision during the worst moments of their lives.

"It just helps in such sad times … knowing your loved one is helping other people," she said.

For other families navigating the aftermath of sudden and traumatic loss, the search for answers can be a long and painful road — but the Bryant family says that reaching out to the first responders who were there has brought them a measure of peace.