Shotton Colliery house crash parachutist 'feared paralysis'

Darren Crumpler fractured his spine, pelvis, ankle, femur and elbow

A parachutist seriously injured when he crashed into the side of a house has said he thought he would be paralysed.

Darren Crumpler was found dangling by his harness from a television aerial on the property in Shotton Colliery, County Durham, last July.

The 51-year old from Catterick, who had been jumping from Peterlee Parachute Centre, said he remembered very little about the accident apart from the pain.

"I honestly didn't believe I would ever be able to walk again," he said.

"When I was able to sit up and dangle my legs off the bed I just burst into tears."

Darren Crumpler said he was "unbelievably grateful" to the air ambulance service

The owner of the house, Alan Stainsby, said he had been watching the Wimbledon final when he heard a "sickening thud".

"All kinds of things were going through my mind, so I went out and the parachutist was literally hanging off the aerial," he said.

Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) paramedic Paul Burnage said it looked like "something from a cartoon but was clearly a very serious incident and one which he was lucky to survive".

Mr Crumpler had to stay in James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough for 10 weeks.

He had a broken spine, a fractured pelvis, a broken ankle, a shattered heel, a broken femur, an elbow fracture and cuts on his head.

"One of the skin grafts involved removing muscle and nerves from my wrist and putting it where my elbow was. Now when I touch my elbow, I feel it on my wrist," he said.

Darren Crumpler was caught on a TV aerial on the gable end of the house

Mr Crumpler said he was "unbelievably grateful" to GNAAS.

His rescue features on Emergency Helicopter Medics on More4 on Sunday.

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