A British tourist is fighting for his life with gangrene after jumping from a bridge in Poland and hitting his leg on rocks.
Liam Fullerton, 30, from Dundee, was rushed to hospital in Poznan on Saturday after diving into the water to cool down, his distraught mother told the Daily Record.
“Liam has since become seriously ill with septic shock and now also has gangrene in the wound at the top of his leg, all due to the dirty water,” she said.
“He’s already had multiple surgeries to clean it out and stop the infection,” she added.
However, the family now fear the infection has spread to his lungs and say Liam had to be put into an induced coma to receive life-saving treatment.
Gill Young, a family friend, founded a fundraising to ‘get Liam home’, raising over £10,000 in two days.
Liam jumped into the water to cool off during a trip to Poland, but hit the rocks and injured his leg
“Liam was in Poland with friends last Saturday to watch the Dundee game,” mother Lisa told the Daily record.
‘To cool off in the hot weather he jumped from a bridge into the water, but it was so shallow that he hit the bottom or landed on the rocks.
Liam was taken to the emergency room with two “nasty” wounds and was then sent home.
But when things got worse, he was sent back to the hospital in Poznan.
Liam was supposed to be given hyperbaric oxygen, but X-rays showed the infection had spread to his lungs.
He was taken by helicopter to a hospital near Gdansk, where he was to be examined by specialists in the treatment of wound bacteria.
Liam was placed in a medically induced coma for treatment and woke up Monday, his mother said.
Friends and family shared their tributes to the 30-year-old on social media.
“Please pray for this cheeky little man, he needs everyone’s prayers right now,” The Shack, a Dundee street food restaurant run by Gill Young, wrote on Facebook.
“He is always the first to want to help, and right now the only thing we can do to help him is pray.
‘My Liam, you are so loved xx’
Liam’s football team, Stobswell AFC, also offered their support during his recovery.
“All the boys’ thoughts and prayers are with Liam for a speedy recovery. You’ve got this mate, keep fighting,” the statement said.
Lisa thanked us for all the support.
“It feels like we have an army behind us,” she said.
‘We want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all the calls, messages and support we receive from all sides.
“Let’s do our very best to help our funny, cheeky, loud boy Liam get through this.”
People close to Liam fear that costs will spiral out of control as he is not fully insured and is only entitled to limited assistance.
“The air ambulance alone, if he needed it, would cost £31,700, so you can imagine what the total cost of everything would be,” Gill wrote on the fundraiser.
Supporters are appealing for help to ensure Liam (L) is cared for while he receives treatment
Lisa told the Daily Record earlier this week that Liam was still waiting for treatment on his leg to remove dead tissue.
She said the operations are taking place daily.
“He’s in pain, but he’s been given enough painkillers,” she said.
The doctors told Lisa that the “infection parameters have gone down,” a promising sign for his recovery.
Gangrene is a potentially life-threatening condition in which tissue dies, usually as a result of injury or infection.