In the 28 years since his own spinal cord injury, Jonathan Fogerty an Associate Solicitor at Slater and Gordon Lawyers in Manchester has witnessed many individuals with spinal cord injury go on to achieve remarkable things.
As Jonathan explains “Spinal cord injury is not the end of a life. It is more like the start of a new life.”
The recent story however of a promising footballer who sustained a spinal cord injury which left him paralysed at the waist down at the age of 17 and who then went on to buy his former club, Worthing FC, really is a touching story.
After George Dowell was selected for the non-league side’s first team, the former right back – who is now in his 20s – was put forward for England school trials and appeared to be at the start of a promising career.
But in 2010, he was a passenger in a friend’s car when it came off a dual-carriageway and crashed into a field. He cannot remember much about the accident but when he woke up, he was told he had broken two vertebrae in his back and severed his spinal cord.
As a talented young footballer, being told he would will never walk again let alone play football was incredibly hard to deal with. Thankfully, in this case, with the help and support of his friends and family, Mr Dowell was determined such a life-changing blow wouldn’t get the better of him.
“I was devastated. It changed everything about my life but you’ve got to get on with it,” he said.
Despite his condition, George was adamant he wanted to remain involved in football and so bought a 75% stake in the club he once played for. Although he is now chairman of Worthing FC and one of the youngest football club owners in the world, the journey from his accident to buying his former club was far from easy.
During the 10 months he spent in hospital undergoing spinal cord injury rehabilitation, he and his friends discussed plans to start a football team when he returned home but when he discovered that the club he loved so much was struggling financially, he decided to act.
Mr Dowell received a spinal cord injury compensation settlement from the driver’s insurers following his accident and after speaking to friends that he still had at the club, a meeting was arranged with those in charge of the club.
The Isthmian League Division One South club’s debts have now been paid off and it is finally making a profit. Since taking over the club in April, Mr Dowell has overseen the installation of a state-of-the-art 3G pitch at the Woodside Road ground and set up a football development centre for under eights and under 16s. He now hopes he can help his club reach the Conference League.
Commenting on George’s achievement, Jonathan Fogerty an Associate Solicitor specialising in Spinal Injury claims at Slater and Gordon in Manchester said, “What George has achieved is remarkable. He has used his compensation settlement in a remarkable way and to rebuild his life after spinal cord injury. It demonstrates how important it is that somebody with a spinal cord injury investigates the possibility of a personal injury claim after they have been left with a life changing injury. We wish George and his team all the very best for the future.”
There are approximately 40,000 people currently living with a spinal cord injury in the UK today. Incredibly, every eight hours someone else’s life will change irrevocably due to a spinal cord injury. Spinal cord injuries are most commonly caused by road traffic accidents, falls or sport accidents.
Slater and Gordon are proud to be a Diamond Corporate Sponsor of the Spinal Injuries Association, the leading national charity for spinal cord injured people and their families.
If you or a member of your family are affected by spinal cord injury, please call our Spinal Injury team on freephone 0800 916 9046 or contact us online and we will call you.
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