A disabled climber has had his leg amputated after it became trapped under his wheelchair as he attempted to scale the UK’s highest mountain.
Shaun Gash’s climbing feat in June came to a grievous end – just 300 metres from the top of Ben Nevis.
The 47-year-old paraplegic was completely unaware his leg had become trapped beneath his off-road wheelchair and had been smashing against the huge rocks.
His wife Dawn, 46, and daughter Niamh, 13, who had joined him on the climb, watched the horror unfold as he was airlifted off the peak.
The father-of-three spent three weeks in Raigmore Hospital in Inverness after suffering a spiral fracture on his fibia, two tibia breaks and his leg is badly blistered and infected.
Now, four months later, he has had the leg amputated below the knee after begging medics to let him have the surgery.
Speaking from his hospital bed at Blackpool Victoria Hospital, the family support worker said it wasn’t a hard decision to have his leg removed.
He added: “When I went to see the surgeon in Blackpool earlier this year, it was nine weeks after the accident and the leg was exactly the same as it was when it happened.
“It was still badly broken and the surgeon agreed with the amputation to help the recovery.
“Even after the decision was made, there was no doubt in my mind I had done the right thing – it had just been going on for so long.
“The hardest part was putting a case together to justify to the doctors why I wanted the amputation and why it was the best way forward.”
Mr Gash, from Lancaster, was trying to raise £3,000 for Help For Heroes, Calvert Trust Exmoor, Back-Up Trust and George’s Legacy by scaling Ben Nevis.
At the time of the accident, he was tiold he was lucky he couldn’t feel his leg because he would have been in excruciating pain.
The charity fundraiser, who has previously climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, and jumped out a plane for charity, added: “I broke my back and was given two days to live more than 20 years ago.
“And in comparison to that, this is just a flesh wound. The stitches should be in for two or three weeks.”
He has raised more than £250,000 for charity so far.
To donate to his appeal go to
https://www.gofundme.com/rgk-no-fear-on-wheels-ben-nevis
