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Holiday of Horror for Dundee dad
A lovely holiday turned to disaster after a freak fall into a swimming pool caused paralysis.
Dean Fraser, who will be 22 next week, slipped and banged his neck on the edge of the pool stairs, falling into the water.
Tragically, a heroic holidaymaker from Glasgow, who stopped him from drowning, could inadvertently have heightened damage to his spinal cord.
Dean’s mum , Elaine and step dad Bobby Skelligan hope that their grief sends out a message to other young holiday makers when drinking alcohol close to pool areas.
The accident happened at a beach resort in Bulgaria when Dean was out partying with pal Paul Connolly in the early hours last Tuesday.
A 22-year-old Glasgow man, Gareth Brady, suffered an almost identical injury in Majorca recently.
He is expected to undergo his recovery alongside former Morgan Academy pupil Dean at Glasgow’s Southern General Hospital.
Elaine received the news by telephone on the morning of the accident and immediately set about getting Dean home.
She had to break the news to husband Bobby, Dean’s girlfriend Laura and Dean’s four-year-old daughter Kaela.
After problems with red tape at the Bulgarian end, Dean was eventually transported by air ambulance.
“We could not believe it,” Elaine, clearly still in shock, said today. “We thought he had been at a disco.
“Everyone knows they jump in and out of pools but I believe there was a pool at the nightclub.
“Bobby added, “He would have got the injury when he caught the back of his neck. The boy who jumped in may have done some damage pulling him out, but Dean was drowning and he saved his life.”
Though Dean now has some movement back in his arms, it is feared he may never walk again. He faces a gruelling eight to 12 months’ recovery in hospital.
Elaine explained, “He has damaged vertebrae five and six, which is the exact same as the guy from Glasgow who was hurt in Spain.
“Even if just one young person pays attention to this, because we don’t want anyone else to go through what we have gone through, it will help.
“It just shows you what can happen. If you do something silly, it can change your life. We’ve all done it.”
The family are in the process of setting up a trust fund in Dean’s name.
A spokeswoman for NHS Greater Glasgow confirmed Dean is recovering and in a stable condition in the hospital’s specialist spinal unit.
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