Special needs teacher Ian Westmoreland woke from a devastating crash with pins and needles only to be told by his wife he was paralysed from the waist down but he is now abseiling and going on marathon bike rides
A veteran who had to learn to walk again after a horror crash has made a remarkable return to the classroom.
Ian Westmoreland, 50, was cycling home when he was hit by a van travelling more than 60mph. He suffered a punctured lung and a fractured neck, leaving him paralysed from the waist down.
But now the dad-of-three is back in front of his class again. He has even completed a 90ft abseil and a 100km bike ride around Yorkshire. Ian has no memory of the crash in December 2023, only waking up in hospital with pins and needles and his wife having to break the devastating news that he was paralysed from the waist down.
Ian, a former tank soldier who served in Iraq and Afghanistan during a 22-year stint in the army, described being paralysed as ‘the worst thing’ he’s ever faced. He was in hospital for 105 days.
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He explained: “Before the injury I was a very physical person, I used to run marathons and do open water swimming. I was always active so coming to terms with not having that physical release was very difficult.
“When I left hospital, I couldn’t move my legs at all. However, with determination and the help of my physiotherapist I can now stand and walk with aids. It’s never going to be my primary mode of movement. But there is hope if you are willing to put the effort in, as it hurts like hell.”
In his darkest moments, he was motivated to keep going by his wife Michelle, 44, and their daughter, Penelope, 13. But after a two-year battle he is taking his first steps again.
Ian said: “My army training and my experience as a special needs teacher kicked in and I realised I needed to adapt and overcome what had happened to me. Returning to teaching was as important to me as the physical part of my recovery because it quickly became apparent I felt I had lost my sense of purpose.
“I love my job and get a huge sense of satisfaction from helping children with disabilities see that they have a future, and it has brought a renewed sense of purpose to my life that was severely missing.”
Ian, who teaches at Roger Cannon East SILC School in Harehills, hopes he can use his own story to show his students their disabilities do not define them.
He explained: “Sometimes you can sympathise with disabled people’s plight when you are able-bodied but now I am myself disabled and have suffered the physical and psychological hurdles that you have to get over, I can now truly empathise with my students.
“I want to use everything I’ve learned and my own experience to help the kids I’ll be working with to overcome some of the hurdles they are experiencing now. Hopefully with my own story I can help them find light at the end of the tunnel and realise their disability doesn’t define them, it’s what they do with their life that will define them.”
Just days after the incident, Ian’s wife instructed Fletchers Solicitors to investigate his case. After a lengthy claim action against the driver’s insurance company, his case was settled ensuring his long term care was financed and allowing his family to move to a home specially adapted to his needs.
Siobhan Thacker, Partner and Serious Injury Expert at Fletchers said: “Working with Ian has been a genuine privilege, he has really let us in to his family, his life and how he was feeling throughout the process and that really enables us to do the job we need to do.
“We aim to put the client first in everything we do and with our seriously injured clients, so much of the focus throughout the claim is getting the right rehabilitation they need. To see Ian reach a point in his recovery where he is able to walk with aids is incredible, and it just reminds us why ensuring our clients have the best rehabilitation available is so important.”
