Apprentice electrician returns to work after car crash left him in three-week coma

A brave patient who battled back from life-threatening injuries following a traumatic car crash has paid tribute to the NHS medics who helped ensure he returned to full fitness.

Charlie Gray benefited from the specialist services and support provided by staff at the Specialist Rehabilitation Unit in the Bellfield Centre at Stirling Health and Care Village.

Charlie was transferred to the unit following treatment for multiple life-threatening injuries.

Through the dedication, skill, and compassion of the staff, he was supported in rebuilding his confidence and independence.

By tailoring his rehabilitation, the team helped Charlie re-learn practical skills, enabling him to return to his apprentice electrician role with Stirling Council as well as achieve personal milestones such as being able to run with his younger brother and play the guitar.

His story was told at the board meeting of NHS Forth Valley on Tuesday.

He said: “I was in a road traffic accident and airlifted to Glasgow, and I was then sedated into a coma for three weeks.

“I had a traumatic brain injury and had two punctured lungs, which required me to have tracheotomy ligaments in my spinal cord snapped, and I had a ruptured spleen, which was removed. The staff at Bellfield were all very welcoming, which you would expect.

“But they took extra steps and made me welcome. They went into my ward room and talked to me for half an hour to try to get to know me by my personality and never left my side – they were always here and worked a lot on the psychological side of things and physical.

“They all work as a massive team to get you motivated, so you have something to work for at the end of the day.

“I was struggling to walk at first and had lost physical and mental strength. I mentioned I was an electrician at Stirling Council, and that is what I wanted to get back to; that was my main target.

“My parents brought me in a set of wires, and the therapist based my rehab on electrical stuff, doing it constantly every couple of days, and I could see my strength coming back very quickly.

“When the therapist told me what I needed to do to get back to work, I did it, and it was a lot quicker than I thought it would have been. It was a big improvement.

“My little brother is seven years old and into his running. He said in the hospital, would I still run with him? That was where I needed to get back to full fitness so he could run with his big brother. I didn’t want him to get upset.

I got back to full strength with grip, strength, and my reactions.

“When I first picked up the guitar, it was like a new instrument, and I did not know how to play it.

“Every Friday afternoon, I took part in the quiz and played the guitar for the patients, reassuring them that everything was possible.”