Nightmare injury left Lillington footballer with year of pain
Lillington footballer Daniel Bates has called for changes in how football is run after a horrific injury left him unable to work for nearly a year.
The Stoneleigh Social midfielder's leg was shattered in seven places in a match in September 2007, leaving him on crutches for months.
He fears he will never return to playing at the same level, and says his leg will never be the same again.
Now the 20-year-old apprentice carpenter is calling on the FA, which runs English football, for harsher punishments and a way of compensating injured players.
He said: "It has cost me a year of my life and going through all the pain I had to go through. I think about it every day. I can't forget it."
A former North Leamington School pupil, Mr Bates played three times a week before a mistimed tackle in a Sunday league match left him unsure he would play again.
With one bone broken and the other splintered, Mr Bates was taken to hospital where doctors began an operation to save his leg.
Mr Bates said: "It was the worst pain I have ever been in. I hope I will never be in that much pain again."
Surgeons inserted a metal rod into the bone from his shin to his ankle, but at first could not patch the hole his bone had burst through.
At one stage he was told that if the wound had been infected he might lose the leg, but luckily this was not the case.
Instead, Mr Bates had to undergo eight hours of plastic surgery - and was horrified at the results.
He said: "Seeing my leg for the first time after the surgery was pretty horrific. It had been bandaged up and did not look like a leg, it looked like a piece of meat."
It was nine months until Mr Bates could walk properly and ten until he could return to work. Even now he must have further operations and cannot run without a limp.
But the footballer was furious to learn that the player who tackled him had only received a three-week ban - and that he as a victim was not invited to the hearing.
Mr Bates said: "If someone spat at the referee they would get an automatic 120-day ban but you can break someone's leg and pretty much end their career and get 21 days."
He believes there should be 'player to player' insurance similar to that covering drivers, and that the FA should have harsher punishments for serious fouls and compensation for injuries.
Mr Bates said: "There is nothing. As soon as you get injured, that's it. You're on your own. The FA just does not care."
Haidee Vedy, a partner and personal injury specialist at solicitors Alsters Kelley is currently helping Mr Bates fight for compensation.
"Many amateur footballers like Daniel come from occupations that don't pay sick leave or are self-employed. They can't afford to be out of work because they're injured.
"And, yet, their clubs often don't have insurance for player-to-player liability.
The FA's response:
Birmingham County FA secretary Dave Shelton explained why the organisation had not involved Mr Bates in its disciplinary process.
Mr Shelton said the victims of fouls did not take part in disciplinary hearings in professional or amateur football in the UK, instead using referees' reports.
He explained that clubs could have accident insurance covering players against injuries, but that Mr Bates' team appeared not to.
Mr Shelton said the FA had recommended making it compulsory for clubs to be insured, but that its members had voted against this.
He added that many county associations had used player to player insurance in the past, but that litigation costs had raised insurance premiums above the means of clubs.
Mr Shelton also said it was possible for Mr Bates to apply for a grant from the FA's benevolent fund to help with his situation, but the organisation had not yet received an application. In the past we have secured damages for clients who’ve been similarly affected but it seems the premiums have just got too high and the clubs can no longer afford it.”
Birmingham County FA secretary Dave Shelton explained why the organisation had not involved Mr Bates in its disciplinary process.
Mr Shelton said the victims of fouls did not take part in disciplinary hearings in professional or amateur football in the UK, instead using referees’ reports.
He explained that clubs could have accident insurance covering players against injuries, but that Mr Bates’ team appeared not to. Mr Shelton said the FA had recommended making it compulsory for clubs to be insured, but that its members had voted against this.
He added that many county associations had used player to player insurance in the past, but that litigation costs had raised insurance premiums above the means of clubs.
Mr Shelton also said it was possible for Mr Bates to apply for a grant from the FA’s benevolent fund to help with his situation.
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Tuesday 22 May 2012
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