British backpacker, 23, loses his arm in a horrific farm accident while on a gap year in Australia
- British backpacker loses arm while working on an Australian farm
- A GoFundMe has raised £7,920, or just under AU$15,000
A British backpacker has recounted the horrifying moment when his arm was crushed and then amputated after working on a farm in Australia.
Henry Dunn, 23, was on his last week of work at Larrimah Station, a five-hour drive south-east of Darwin, to renew his visa when disaster struck on Nov. 15.
While driving a post driver, who was used to hammering fences into the ground, his left arm was crushed and he was immediately flown 500 km to the Royal Darwin Hospital.
During emergency surgery, it was decided to amputate his left arm just below the elbow.
Mr Dunn opened up about his horrific experience on Monday when he tried to raise money to pay for medical and rehabilitation costs not covered by insurance.
A resilient 23-year-old British backpacker, Henry Dunn (pictured), has recounted the moment when his arm was crushed while working on a farm in the Northern Territory in November
After graduating from Cardiff Metropolitan University in Cardiff, Wales, in 2020, and waiting nearly two years for Covid-19 travel restrictions to be lifted, Mr. Dunn finally ready to start his gap year to Australia.
“I was finally able to fly to Thailand on January 19, 2022, marking the start of my year abroad traveling through South East Asia and then on to New Zealand and Australia,” Mr Dunn wrote on the GoFundMe page.
‘In the 11 months I have been away I have met wonderful people, experienced new cultures, foods and activities which have all contributed to my personal development and world view.
‘For the past 3 months I have been working on a cattle station in the Northern Territory; a great experience where I learned so much about working with cattle and station life.’
Although he lost his arm, Mr Dunn remained positive and documented his week-by-week rehabilitation process, fitting two separate prostheses.
‘I have now fitted my first prosthesis and brought it home. It’s the first of many – think of it as a prototype,” Dunn wrote on Instagram.
“My “residual limb” is constantly changing shape as it goes through various stages of healing. Doctors explained the healing as baking a cake.
‘The outside looks ready, but the inside is still raw; still a long way to go.’
He recently got a pinlock prosthetic on his arm, which gives him more use instead of just a hook.
His arm had to be amputated just below the elbow after flying 500km to the Royal Darwin Hospital, but he has maintained a positive outlook on life throughout rehabilitation
Mr Dunn has started a GoFundMe page to get his life back on track and has raised £7,920 or just under AU$15,000.
While the Northern Territory Workers’ Compensation Scheme allows for the payment of medical and other reasonable expenses, it is also a no-fault scheme meaning that an employee cannot sue an employer for negligence.
Under the law, this means Mr Dunn has been left out of pocket for ongoing rehabilitation costs to get his life back on track.
‘This includes things like specialized equipment for sport and everyday life that allows me to continue to participate, as well as leisure activities such as cycling, cross fit, gardening, fishing, surfing to name a few,’ Mr Dunn wrote.
“Any donations you can give are greatly appreciated.”