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16/05/2008
'Tombstoning' Pictures Released By Parents
The parents of a young man who has been left paralysed after a tombstoning accident have released pictures of him.
Robert Wells, 44 and Jacqui Unal, 42, hope the pictures of their son (21) in a hospital bed will deter other thrill-seekers from jumping to a similar fate.
Sonny Wells jumped from South Parade Pier in Southsea, Portsmouth on Saturday – a 30 ft jump.
He was airlifted to Southampton General Hospital after the accident where doctors found his neck was broken in two places.
His parents made the decision to release the upsetting photos yesterday, they have now been published in national newspapers and broadcast on national and international TV stations.
Ms Unal said that "if we could stop someone else from tombstoning by releasing this picture then it will be a bonus".
Sonny has undergone complicated reconstructive surgery, a bone has been taken from his hip and put into his neck. At the moment he is able to move his arms but is paralysed from the chest down.
His uncle, Gary Wells said that "he is very, very lucky".
Sonny, a former soldier in the Kings Royal Hussars, will need dedicated rehabilitation treatment at the Salisbury Hospital and has been told it will be at least two years before he can leave hospital for good.
It is reported that doctors have said that he will never walk again.
Sonny was out with his friends when he performed the stunt.
Tombstoning, worryingly, is a popular craze among young people. However, the dangers do not seem to be curbing the stunts.
Sam Boyd, 16, died last year after jumping into the sea from a harbour wall at Minehead, Somerset.
The root of the term 'tombstoning' is believed to have derived from coast guards referring to the sport "as an easy way to earn an early grave".
(DS)
Robert Wells, 44 and Jacqui Unal, 42, hope the pictures of their son (21) in a hospital bed will deter other thrill-seekers from jumping to a similar fate.
Sonny Wells jumped from South Parade Pier in Southsea, Portsmouth on Saturday – a 30 ft jump.
He was airlifted to Southampton General Hospital after the accident where doctors found his neck was broken in two places.
His parents made the decision to release the upsetting photos yesterday, they have now been published in national newspapers and broadcast on national and international TV stations.
Ms Unal said that "if we could stop someone else from tombstoning by releasing this picture then it will be a bonus".
Sonny has undergone complicated reconstructive surgery, a bone has been taken from his hip and put into his neck. At the moment he is able to move his arms but is paralysed from the chest down.
His uncle, Gary Wells said that "he is very, very lucky".
Sonny, a former soldier in the Kings Royal Hussars, will need dedicated rehabilitation treatment at the Salisbury Hospital and has been told it will be at least two years before he can leave hospital for good.
It is reported that doctors have said that he will never walk again.
Sonny was out with his friends when he performed the stunt.
Tombstoning, worryingly, is a popular craze among young people. However, the dangers do not seem to be curbing the stunts.
Sam Boyd, 16, died last year after jumping into the sea from a harbour wall at Minehead, Somerset.
The root of the term 'tombstoning' is believed to have derived from coast guards referring to the sport "as an easy way to earn an early grave".
(DS)
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