Young Halifax man feels depressed and isolated after 'horror' incident

Nathan Bland, 20, who lives on Backhold Drive, lost his leg below the left knee and his toes on his right foot following a 'horror' incident at work on November 26.

Now, Mr Bland is appealing to members of the public for help after being left jobless and without suitable access to leave his house, which he said has caused him to feel depressed and isolated.

He said: "I remember I didn't feel any pain at the time - it was really strange - I was told that was probably due to having so much adrenaline and the fact I was in shock.

"The trauma specialists tried to save my left leg by sowing it back on, but they weren't able to because of blood-flow complications.

"And I lost my toes a few days later after they blackened and fell off."

Mr Bland said the incident, which happened at BW Recycling, in Siddal Top Lane, saw a blade cut his left leg and lacerate his right foot.

He was escorted to Leeds General Infirmary by a police convoy via an ambulance within an hour of the incident.

The 20-year-old then spent four weeks in hospital and was released on December 19, the day before he lost his great grandma Cynthia Jacob, 90, after she suffered a fatal stroke.

Mr Bland said: "Losing a limb and the proper use of my right foot has completely thrown off my balance, and my back is in a lot of pain.

"I remember looking at my own foot thinking I was in a horror movie, it just reminded me of a zombie film.

"The fact I lost my great grandma recently too has made this situation more unbearable.

"Before this incident I suffered from ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) and anxiety.

"But now on top of that I constantly feel like I'm in the depths of depression and being in my home at all times has made me feel very isolated."

Mr Bland said he fears he will be housebound for the foreseeable future after the council refused to construct an access ramp because he is to receive a prosthetic leg.

"I won't be getting a prosthetic for a while yet and the council have refused to make adjustments - I'm just in limbo," he said.

Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Adults’ Services and Wellbeing, Cllr Bob Metcalfe, said: “Calderdale Council does all it can to help people live independently in their homes and can assist with a number of home adaptation options for people with disabilities.

“Following an application to the accessible homes team, an assessment of the property is carried out to ensure that any adaptions sufficiently meet the needs of the applicant.

“In this case, the assessment appointment of the property is scheduled for next week. Following this, we will be able to identify what support or advice we can offer to improve access to the home.”

Meanwhile, his cousin Kira Hirst has set up a Go Fund Me page hoping to raise £1,500 towards the cost of the ramp.

The fund-raising page can be found here