Fenland man does a Captain Tom to say thanks to medics who saved his leg

A man who suffered horrific leg injuries in a work accident has been following in the footsteps of Captain Sir Tom Moore and completed a fundraising walk using a frame.

When Dom Baxter was injured back in February this year it was feared the 47-year-old might lose his left leg, but thanks to the expert care of the Magpas Air Ambulance Helimedics at the scene of the accident in Wisbech, surgeons were able to save it.

Now Dom's family have launched a fundraising effort to say thank-you to the amazing doctors and surgeons who have enabled him to walk again.

They are raising money for both Magpas and for Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge and on Friday Dom, who has had to learn to walk again after months of recovery including three weeks in hospital, took to the streets around his home in Bramley Road, Wisbech to complete a block.

It was the first time since the accident that Dom, who is married to Margaret and has three children Gaby, 26, Micah, 25, and Naomi, 20, had walked outside.

He is still walking with a frame having undergone seven-and-a-half hours of surgery to repair the damage to both legs which involved pinning bones, and inserting rods as well as skin grafts.

Margaret said: "It was a normal day, just like any other. Dom went off for work at about 7am and then the next thing I know I'm being told there had been an accident and Dom was on his way to Addenbrooke's and that we should get over there.

"But when we arrived we were not allowed in to see him, in fact we didn't see him for the whole 22 days he was in hospital, we had to rely on phone calls and Facetime to see how he was getting on, because of Covid - it was horrendous.

"I would drive all the way to Cambridge to handover clothes and other bits for him at the door and come away again.

"When he was due to come home we had to get a lot of equipment in place for him and that's when Micah launched the first part of the fundraising. He raised money to help cover the cost of a specialist wheelchair, because Dom was not allowed to put any weight on his legs he had to be transferred from the bed to the chair via a slide board.

"We have had some great support from the community and local businesses including Delta Systems who provided a ramp so Dom could get in and out of the house.

"Now we want to give something back and so Micah took up the challenge of running his first marathon, which he did on Saturday (15) running the 26 miles around Wisbech in four hours and 19 minutes.

"Originally Dom was going to walk a short distance with him, but when we saw what the weather was going to be like on Saturday we decided he should do his bit on Friday night instead.

"He walked for about 15 minutes and it was a lot harder than he thought it was going to be, but it was a fantastic achievement for him, especially when you think he could have lost a leg, and all that he has been through.

"The doctors are hopeful that he will make a full recovery, but it is just going to take time, but Dom is determined to get there.

"Micah set a target of £500 but we have already smashed that by raising over £1,000, and we have been overwhelmed by the support we have had and can't thank people enough for what they have done for us.

"And of course if it hadn't been for the amazing Magpas doctors doing what they did at the scene and then the incredible surgeons at Addenbrooke's this could have been a different story, and we will be forever grateful to them."

To donate visit Micah's Justgiving page.