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Man jumps fence at athletics track and ends up with 'funny bone' dangling out

WARNING - GRAPHIC IMAGES: Hamish Franklin, 26, suffered a horrific arm injury after jumping a fence at a closed athletics track leaving his 'funny bone' nerve dangling out and facing up to two years before he can train again

[Hamish Franklin decided to scale the metal fence]

Hamish Franklin decided to scale the metal fence(Image: Kennedy News & Media)

An impatient man who vaulted a fence at his athletics track to dodge the wait now faces two years without training - after the spikes left his funny bone hanging out.

Hamish Franklin recounts arriving at the athletics track only to find it closed due to a bank holiday on 25 May. Determined to train that day, an 'impatient' Hamish chose to climb the metal fence to access the track.

The fitness enthusiast says he managed to clear the 7ft fence on his way into the track, but on his exit, his left hand was 'punctured' by one of the spikes at the top. A 'panicked' Hamish then leapt down, but in doing so, his left arm got snagged on the fence and was 'ripped open' beneath his bicep.

[Hamish in hospital]

Hamish in hospital(Image: Kennedy News & Media)

The 26-year-old feared he would 'bleed out and die' as his mates rushed him to hospital. At the hospital Hamish was diagnosed with a severed ulnar nerve - and informed that his recovery could take up to two years.

The ulnar nerve, located just under the first layer of skin near the elbow, aids people in gripping objects and assists with skills such as writing. This nerve, often referred to as the 'funny bone', also enables the hand and fingers to sense things like heat and pain.

Shocking photos reveal the severed nerve protruding from Hamish's arm. After enduring a gruelling eight-hour operation to reconnect the nerves in his arm with those in his hand, Hamish is still unable to feel his pinky and ring finger.

[Hamish getting back into training ]

Hamish getting back into training (Image: Kennedy News & Media)

Medics have warned him it could take up to two years before sensation returns and he can properly train at the gym once more - all because he couldn't wait a single day for the athletics track to reopen.

Hamish, from Harrow, Greater London, said: "I just wanted to train and the athletics track was closed. I travelled quite a far distance to get there and paid for parking.

"It was supposed to be open but I think because it was a bank holiday it was unexpectedly closed. When I was coming back over [the fence], one of the spikes went into my hand and that made me panic because I didn't really expect it to go inside.

"Because I was still at the top of the fence and it was a higher jump, I couldn't really just hop so I put my arm over - the same arm as the one where the spike had penetrated into my hand.

WARNING - GRAPHIC IMAGE

[Hamish's ulnar nerve hanging out of his arm]

Hamish's ulnar nerve hanging out of his arm(Image: Kennedy News & Media)

"I needed to balance to jump and when I did the fence caught onto my arm and ripped it open under my bicep." A mate rushed Hamish to hospital, though he admitted fearing he might bleed to death given the sheer volume of blood he was losing.

Hamish said: "My arm was just open from my bicep. We managed to tourniquet it but I had to hold it above my head - it was just dripping and leaking blood. I thought I was going to bleed out."

Upon arrival at hospital, medics informed Hamish he had severed the ulnar nerve in his arm, which controls the hand's ability to grip objects. Hamish said: "The doctor told me that it was my ulnar nerve that was hanging out, that made everything seem a bit more serious.

"I was told I would need to go in for surgery. I was really scared - I hadn't really heard anything about nerve injuries before.

"I had no idea how a nerve being severed would affect my arm - I didn't know if I would lose feeling in it forever."

[He's now back to good health]

He's now back to good health(Image: Kennedy News & Media)

The following day [May 26] Hamish went under the knife for an eight-hour operation to relocate the nerves from his hand to his arm, or face his muscles 'dying'.

Hamish said: "The surgeon did something called an AIN transfer, which means they used another nerve in my hand to connect it to my pinky and ring finger so that I would still be able to move it.

"Otherwise [because] of how long it would have taken for the nerve to grow back, the muscles would have died and I would have lost a lot of function in the long run."

Hamish, who had been hitting the gym four times per week and working out daily before the injury, says medics warned him it will be two years before he can train properly again.

Hamish said: "The doctors told me it would be two years before I'm able to properly train again.

"I was going to the gym every day before [the injury happened]. Even if I wasn't doing something very demanding, there would be sports or something on the days in between.

[Hamish in the hospital]

Hamish in the hospital(Image: Kennedy News & Media)

"I was doing calisthenics training four times per week and then on the days in between I would do running or swimming. It's reduced a lot [since the accident], I can only do running so I've been doing that a couple of times per week.

"Just long, slow runs, I can't train my upper body." Hamish, who is presently between jobs, reveals he has yet to restore sensation and mobility in his fingers.

Medical professionals allegedly informed him it could take up to two years before this returns - though there's no certainty that it will.

Hamish said: "The recovery is really long and because of the injury I can't feel my pinky and ring fingers.

"The nerve that got caught and got severed is the one that is responsible for those two fingers so across my forearm is completely numb, including those fingers, so I can't really grab anything.

"It's going to be about 18 months for that nerve to grow back. The doctors said they can't guarantee [that the feeling in my pinky and ring finger will come back].

"I'm doing everything I can to [help healing] - sleeping and eating well and not smoking. But even then, it will be 18 months."

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