Ex-pat Grandfather, 55, has to have his leg amputated after crash

Ex-pat Grandfather, 55, has to have his leg amputated after being hit by ‘drunk and uninsured driver’ in Spain

• Gary Doggett, 55, was crushed between his van and the car after being hit

A man has been forced to have his leg amputated after being hit by an alleged drunk and uninsured driver in Spain. 

Gary Doggett, 55, who has lived in Murcia for over 15-years, was crushed between his van and the car after being hit while working on June 30.

After being rushed into emergency surgery Mr Doggett woke to discover that doctors were unable to save his right leg and that it had been amputated below the knee. 

Now the glazier’s life has been turned upside down as he faces years before he is back on his feet as well as being forced to close down his business.

Speaking from a hospital in Valencia, the grandfather has said that the crash has ‘changed’ his life. In just six weeks he has undergone over six surgeries to treat injuries to his left leg, fractured vertebrates in his lower back, fractured ribs as well his lungs.

Gary Doggett, 55, was crushed between his van and the car after being hit while working on June 30

A picture of the car that was involved in the accident

An image of the 55-year-old with his wife Carol

Mr Doggett, who lives with his wife Carol, said: ”It will change my life. It won’t ruin it, but it will change it’,

The 55-year-old said that the crash happened on a ‘perfectly straight’ road on a golf course. He said that the driver was uninsured and allegedly over the drink-drive limit. Immediately after the crash he was rushed into an eight-hour surgery before being treated in intensive care for his injuries.

‘I was standing by the back doors waiting for one of the lads to come across, he said ‘I’ll just wait for this car’, next thing whack, the car hit the van with me in between. The damage was done straight away. The crash pushed the van forward so I was lying on the floor, conscious throughout.

‘Next thing I remember is waking up with my wife bringing me around. And that’s when we saw it, or my wife saw it first, I should say. They didn’t pre-warn her, they just said I was alive and that was the main thing. The left leg was pretty mangled as well but they have managed to save that now as well which is great.

‘They [the doctors] just had to whip the leg off because there was not much they could really do with it. I was expecting it to be fair. When I was lying on the floor one of the lads was trying to chuck a blanket on me and saying ”you’ll be alright” and I said ‘don’t talk s**t I can see some of my bones’.’

An X-Ray of Mr Doggett’s left leg

After being rushed into emergency surgery, Mr Doggett woke to discover that doctors were unable to save his right leg and that it had been amputated below the knee

Speaking from a hospital in Valencia, the grandfather has said that the crash has ‘changed’ his life. In just six weeks he has undergone over six surgeries to treat injuries to his left leg, fractured vertebrates in his lower back, fractured ribs as well his lungs

Two days after the crash he underwent further surgery for his other injuries, when he came around he was unable to breathe. An emergency X-Ray found that he had air in his left lung, fractured ribs, and scapula. He then had an emergency drain inserted into his lung.

Now over a month after the crash and several surgeries later significant damage has also been found to his left knee meaning a total reconstruction is needed before he can think about his future with a prosthetic leg.

The grandfather said: ‘It will probably be a year before I can put any weight on one leg because the knee dislocated and broke three of the ligaments so that has got to be done and surgery on the ankle.

‘A year before I can put weight on it and get physio then I can look into getting a prosthetic leg so probably about 18 months or so at least until I’m up’.

Mr Doggett owned a glass curtain business which he has now been forced to close due to being unable to work, this will result in his two members of staff – one of which is his son, Jak, – being left without a job. The business had been running since 2008.

Now his daughter Chloe has set up a fundraising page to help raise some money for her parents to fight legal bills and to make up for his lost income. In under two weeks more than 25,000 euros have been raised for Mr Doggett.

Writing on the page Chloe said: ‘The road to recovery will be long and tough for my dad. Leaving him with financial worries on top of everything else! He will need medical equipment and the house will need major alterations before he can even come home. Due to the driver being uninsured, there will also be lawyer fees.

‘I ask you to please donate whatever you can to help ease this added stress for my dad! My one-year-old twins are learning to walk, and it breaks my heart that my strong, amazing dad has to one day learn to walk all over again! But I know with his unbelievable inner strength and determination, he will one day walk me down the aisle on my wedding day’.

Mr Doggett owned a glass curtain business which he has now been forced to close due to being unable to work, this will result in his two members of staff – one of which is his son, Jak, – being left without a job. The business had been running since 2008

Despite the crash undoubtedly changing his life, the 55-year-old is feeling fairly positive about the future. ‘It’s just one of those things. I’ll get back on my feet to some extent, they work wonders these days

Despite the crash undoubtedly changing his life, the grandfather is feeling fairly positive about the future. ‘It’s just one of those things. I’ll get back on my feet to some extent, they work wonders these days.

‘It all depends on how good my left leg is, the prosthetics are brilliant but they’re only as good as my other leg. I’ll get there eventually with it. I just want to get things done and get back home.’

You can donate to help Mr Doggett with his legal fees on this GoFundMe page.

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