A young dad left quadriplegic after his Porsche convertible crashed into a tree on a sunny day says he knew he was paralysed as he waited for medics to arrive.
Luke Louden, 31, was only 300 yards from his home when he lost control of his Porsche Boxter, which had the top down, hit a tree and rolled down an embankment.
The smash at 9.30am on August 13 left the dad-of-four with 33 broken bones including an open fracture to his left leg which medics feared would need to be amputated.
But it was damage to his spinal cord which has left Luke quadriplegic, after he was thrown from the car.
"It was a sunny day, the car hit a tree and the steering wheel came down and broke my leg and my seatbelt broke somehow," Luke recalled.
"Then the car hit another tree sending me out of the car.
"I knew I was in the air so put my arm up to protect my head but as soon as I hit the floor I knew I was paralysed.
"I couldn’t see anything as I was blind and deaf in one ear."
A neighbour heard the crash and dialled 999, and Luke was flown to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow with devastating injuries.
He was treated at a specialist spinal unit and had to spend three weeks lying on his back staring at the ceiling.
Eventually he was able to sit upright with a neck brace and his wife, Anna, 28 was allowed to visit, although many of those were through a window and involved a five hour return journey.
Dairy worker Luke, from Whauphill, Wigtownshire, was finally allowed to return home on December 17 – and was able to celebrate his son Isaac’s first birthday, which he said was "amazing".
And Luke hasn't let his disability hold him back when it comes to looking after his children, including Anna, aged six, Chloe, aged four, and Mary, aged three.
Every day he starts the morning by picking them up as well as helping out with bath time and reading them Bible stories.
Devout Christian Luke believes divine intervention allowed him to survive the crash – and thanked medics who acted quickly to save his left leg from needing to be amputated.
His left shoulder was dislocated as he put his arms out to protect his head, and his left tibia and fibula were fractured, needing three ops to save his leg.
"On arriving at the hospital, it was discovered I had also sustained incomplete damage to my spinal cord at C7 T1, leaving me a quadriplegic," Luke added.
"I cannot express fully the thanks I have for the crews who attended my crash.
"They were highly professional and their efficient treatment saved my left leg, which I had to have operated on and a fasciotomy performed.
"As a family we are extremely thankful."
Luke admitted he was plagued by negative thoughts during his time in hospital but said his faith got him through, as well as Facetiming his wife.
He said: "While in the spinal unit you have a lot of time to think about negative things like ‘why me?’, ‘what have I done to deserve this?’ and loads of pointless negative thoughts.
"But thankfully I had my faith which has given me great comfort."
He said he now values the "little things", but his daily routine has become "tedious".
"Small things have now become big things, something as simple as reading to the kids and putting them to bed," Luke said.
"It's very tedious, I wake up have breakfast, wash, do physio and exercises and use a standing frame."
He enjoys helping eldest daughter Anna with her homework, and adjustments have had to be made to the family’s home including having a ramp fitted and doors widened.
Luke, who enjoyed doing obstacle courses such as Tough Mudder, tries to do 75 miles a week on a handbike and joining his family for walks at the beach.
He is fundraising £10,000 for a racing wheelchair and hopes to be able to go back to the gym in the future, as well as competing in Para Ironman in 2024 or 2025.
So far nearly £8,000 has been raised.
Luke added: "As a Christian I believe when it’s my time to die it’s my time, as I believe he has greater things for me."
To donate visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-luke-louden-reach-his-target.
