Trauma support team offering a spark of hope on the darkest of days

A Leeds major trauma survivor is giving hope to others with life-changing injuries 10 years on from a catastrophic fall from a ladder.

- by Harriet Sutton

Scott Johnston's life changed forever in June 2015. He was cutting down a tree in his garden in Horsforth when the branch gave way, sending him and his ladder tumbling to the ground. Scott, who was 57 at the time, hit a wall before landing hard in a concrete gully.

He was taken to Leeds Major Trauma Centre, at Leeds General Infirmary, where medics treated him for a shattered pelvis, several broken ribs, a punctured lung and torn liver.

Scott's orthopaedic consultant was Prof Peter Giannoudis, who at the time had recently founded charity Day One Trauma Support to help people like Scott who were recovering from catastrophic injuries.

The charity now supports people all over the UK and Scott has become one of its key peer support volunteers - helping give hope to more than 40 people impacted by life-changing injuries through in-person chats and telephone calls. He has also gone on to fundraise by completing the Great North Run.

This week, Scott, 67, is sharing his story to help Day One Trauma Support launch Major Trauma Awareness Week, which runs until Sunday.

He is among a group of major trauma survivors who feature in a new video