Soldier speaks about horror fall in Thailand

A Hartlepool soldier has spoken for the first time about a horror plunge from a waterfall in Thailand when he believed he was going to die.

- Mark Payne

Liam Gibson suffered life-altering injuries after he slipped and fell from the idyllic Na Muang Waterfall 2, in Koh Samui, while trying to take a photo with girlfriend Lucy Burnett.

He was left with multiple shattered bones including to his legs, skull, right eye socket and arm. After four weeks in hospital in Thailand and around ten days in Middlesbrough's James Cook hospital, Liam, 21, is now recovering back at home in Hartlepool.

The electrical technician, who serves with the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME), thanked people who donated over £35,000 to help bring him home.

He said: "It's good to be home, obviously. I get a lot more support here. I'm slowly recovering.

"My leg's not healing as it should be flexibility wise, but I'm getting there."