Builder's horrifying ordeal after plunging 50 feet from ladder

Darren Adams of Penhill had been working as a builder’s labourer at the Stratton Villas site on Shrivenham Road for six months until January.

He was working at the New Dawn Homes site in the freezing conditions on Thursday, January 19 when he slipped on a ladder rung and fell.

“I went to load out blocks for two bricklayers and I went to climb the ladder on site which is about 50ft tall,” he said.

“On that day it was -5 degrees and there was mud on the ground from the ongoing groundworks that had frozen over.”

Darren was almost at the top of the ladder when he lost his grip and fell. (Image: Darren Adams)

The 48-year-old began to climb the ladder but upon almost reaching the top, he lost his grip to dangerous effects.

“I was ascending the ladder and I got near to the top but I had to then change grip, taking one hand off to get up to the next rung of the ladder,” said Darren.

“A combination of my right hand and right foot slipped and I found myself falling down to the ground.

“I knew I was going to fall so I tried to relax as much as possible and I landed on my feet which surprisingly did not hurt.”

Despite somehow avoiding injury to his legs, Darren soon realised that he had not escaped the traumatic experience safely.

“I felt my neck crack on impact in a forward whipping motion,” he said.

“I fell forward and my face was in the ground and I was there for 15 minutes screaming for help but nobody could hear me due to the sound of the diggers.

Darren has been left having to wear a neck brace after undergoing multiple operations. (Image: Darren Adams)

“I couldn’t get to my phone as I felt paralysed from the neck down.”

Eventually help did come and an air ambulance was called for Darren but further issues surfaced upon arrival.

“The air ambulance could not land as the site was too confined and the normal ambulance could not enter either, so the medics came on foot and stretchered me to hospital.”

Darren suffered from three broken vertebrate in his neck which had to be removed and replaced with bone from his pelvis and his injuries were so severe that he was sent to John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford.

“I had two separate operations, one that was four hours long and another that was six hours,” he said.

“[A] titanium plate was put in my neck to stabilise the front of my neck and my spinal cord was bruised.

“I will have to have physio and take medication for a while.”

The ground that Darren fell onto was hard and full of debris from the building site. (Image: Darren Adams)

Despite the adversity faced, the labourer remains upbeat and is grateful to those who helped him.

“It’s one of them isn’t it and now I want to get better and get on,” he said.

“I’d like to say thank you to the people at John Radcliffe Hospital for helping fix me up.”

Darren also wished to thank his Gloucester-based martial arts teacher Mark Moore for the skills he was taught that broke his fall.

“The Bujinkhan taijutsu that I was taught possibly saved my life because it taught me how to land and avoid life-threatening injuries”.

With regard to the future, Darren’s full focus is on the road to recovery.

“Personally, I’m going to take it easy for a while then hopefully do some voluntary work in Swindon,” he said.

“On the scaffolding site, they’ve added breaks on the ladders since my accident to ensure this doesn’t happen again.”