A firefighter who lost his hand after being injured by faulty cutting gear said 'the dark days are behind him' thanks to a new prosthetic limb.
Ian McDonald, 37, from Bishopbriggs was pierced by a high-pressure jet of hydraulic fluid while using the ‘jaws of life’ on a training exercise in 2014.
He needed 40 operations after the toxic liquid destroyed tissue in his right hand, but after a four-year battle medics were forced to amputate.
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With the help of a new prosthetic limb, Mr MacDonald can once again write, drive and change his daughter's nappy.
He said: “I understand the NHS can’t afford fancy prosthetics but the hook has limited uses while my new arm restores more normality to my life.
“I can hold mugs, phones, change my daughter’s nappy and after adapting my steering wheel the DVLA confirmed I could still drive.
“I’ve still a way to go but after the support of my family, the doctors and colleagues I finally feel like the dark days are behind me.”
The father-of-four became a full-time firefighter in 2004 at Castlemilk Fire Station, in his first week he responded to the Stockline Plastics disaster, as well as the Glasgow Airport terror attack in 2007.
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The hose pipe connecting the generator to the cutting gear Mr MacDonald used was riddled with tiny punctures, which caused the jet of fluid to penetrate his leather safety gloves.
An investigation into the incident by Digby Brown Solicitors - who secured £1.5million in damages for the firefighter - revealed there was an inadequate system of inspection and maintenance for equipment - despite the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service knowing about the risks.
Mr MacDonald has said he now feels positive about the future, but it was his wife, Claire, who kept the family together after his life-changing injury, who deserves most thanks.
He said: "My recovery and our children's’ smiles would be impossible without her. Claire is nothing short of incredible and I am lucky in ways I could never describe but I hope she sees and knows.”
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