Father suffers 'catastrophic' injuries after falling off trampoline

A dad has suffered a series of life-changing injuries after falling off a trampoline at a friend's house.

Rob Harcourt was paralysed from the chest down following the freak accident last month.

The 37-year-old scaffolder has been in intensive care for the three weeks since the incident, where he has undergone operations to stabilise a fracture in his neck to prevent any further damage.

He has been unable to regain consciousness since the procedure and has struggled to breathe on his own.

Friends and family have since set up a fundraising page to cover Rob’s partner’s bills and expenses.

The fundraiser is being run by Amanda Jones, from Llangwyryfon, near Aberystwyth, whose husband Alan is good friends with Rob.

The fundraising page has surpassed £5,500 in just a few days.

"It's really humbling and shows what people can do if they pull together," said Amanda.

"Rob has had a series of blood clots, he's had a cardiac arrest, he's had swelling on his brain. Hopefully he's turning a corner now and, touch wood, he will come out the other side.

"It's just a bit of a waiting game now to see when he's going to wake up and how he's going to be.

"You just don't think something like that is ever going to happen. He's such an active, outdoorsy kind of lad. It's all been so stressful for the family, and me and my husband thought the only way we could help was to set up this fundraiser and give Jade a little bit of breathing room."

Rob, from Stockton-on-Tees, near Middlesbrough, is now being weaned off his ventilator in the hope he will regain consciousness and breathe independently.

However, it is likely that he will never walk again, and there is some damage to his brain.

"We won't know the impact of that until he wakes up," Amanda added. "We are really grateful for all the contributions to the fund, it's helping enormously and is very humbling."