Recovery continues for County Durham man impaled by forklift
It's been two years since Lee Johnson was involved in the incident at work
A County Durham man's been telling us learning how to walk again has been the hardest part of his recovery after being impaled by a forklift two years ago.
32 year-old Lee Johnson, from Newton Aycliffe, was working in Preston Farm Industrial Estate when the the HGV he was driving was involved in the collision with the forklift on 15th August 2023.
Recalling the incident, he said: “There was a heavy impact to my right side, with severe hip pain and loss of movement and feeling in my right leg. I couldn't move due to the impalement and saw a deep laceration to my right arm.”
Emergency cervices attended the scene including paramedics from the North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) and a doctor and paramedic from the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS).
Lee said: “I remember being trapped in the vehicle for at least 45 minutes as I glanced at my tachograph. I then started feeling unwell and my vision started deteriorating, with sickness, feeling dizzy and tired. I knew something bad was happening and I told the paramedic that I needed to get out of the vehicle.”
Once he was extricated out of the HGV, major bleeding was discovered from his back and hip area, which was packed with gauze, and he was given advanced pain relief including morphine and ketamine.
Lee had sustained several serious injuries including four pelvic fractures, a deep laceration to his upper right arm, a major soft tissue injury with degloving of his abdominal wall and back, and his right buttock muscle torn away along with major nerve damage.
He was transported to James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough in a NEAS ambulance, accompanied by GNAAS’ paramedic and doctor team.
He spent a total of two weeks in hospital and underwent two emergency surgeries to stabilise his pelvis, have his buttock reattached, his wounds debrided and remove necrotic tissue.
He said: “In the hospital, I couldn't physically move for four days. Then I started to learn to walk again with the physios, although it took me a few days to just get sat up and in a chair as I have had blood pressure issues.
“I had to start with a zimmer frame which was difficult enough with having two drains, oxygen and a catheter attached. After I came out of the ICU after my second surgery, I then started to try to walk with crutches and try to lift my leg to use the stairs. Once I was discharged, I had to live downstairs for a few weeks.”
A month after being discharged from hospital he underwent a skin graft under local anesthetic due to the increased risk from a previous surgery, where his vocal cords spasmed and his airway became blocked.
He said: “It was a very strange experience being awake and aware during the procedure, my surgeon joked that the skin was removed by a Dewalt kebab shaver.
“My recovery has been and continues to be challenging, especially learning to walk again. This is something I’ve done for 30 years and taken for granted, and it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to overcome.”
Lee and his partner Stacey have done some fundraising for GNAAS since the incident, as well as meeting the paramedic and doctor who treated him.
Lee said: “It's like meeting your heroes but they are two normal blokes who fly using a helicopter not a cape.”
Stacey said: “You never think you need them until you need them. Without GNAAS, Lee wouldn't have come home. The work these guys and girls do is incredible, from the pilot to doctors and paramedics, to all the fundraising staff and volunteers who make events happen. They are all life-savers.”
GNAAS need to raise £9.3m a year to remain operational and continue to respond to incidents across the region. They’ve launched an appeal to help them raise these funds, and you can find out more on their website.