Ashf
Well-Known Member
He owns Deep Park XC nr Cheltenham, and I would count as a friend, I just found out a couple of round bales fell on him
, He is very lucky to be alive, but is in the high dependancy unit in Cheltenham General Hospital
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HE'S LUCKY TO BE ALIVE - DAD
Date : 14.02.07
Racecourse trainer Norman Babbage was nearly killed when two huge bales of hay crushed him.
Today, his father described the horrific moment he though his son was going to die.
The 44-year-old was knocked over and trapped by two one tonne hay bales at his stables in Brockhampton, near Cheltenham.
The hay fell 5ft from a stack, leaving Norman with a tear to his bladder and a leg broken in two places.
Norman's dad Brian, a builder, watched on his horror as his son screamed out in agony.
He and Norman's mum Mary feared the worst and say he is lucky to be alive.
Norman was taken to Cheltenham General Hospital, where his condition is comfortable.
The pair had been moving some of the 6ft hay bales, which were wrapped in polythene when six of them toppled to the ground.
Mr Babbage said: "Norman went round to fill up some hay nets to give to the horses.
"But because of all the rain and snow we've had, they were slippy and six of them fell off the top of the stack.
"I managed to shoulder one out of the way just by reacting so quickly, but two of them hit Norman with full force."
The 70-year-old said: "I grabbed his torso and pulled him out from between the two bales, but he was screaming "dad, dad" in agony.
"It was heartbreaking watching him go through so much pain.
"I rushed round to the office and told them to phone an ambulance, grabbed a blanket and covered him until the ambulance came."
Mrs Babbage, 65, travelled in the ambulance with him, while Brian followed behind in his car.
He said: "Norman's the luckiest man on earth. Jump jockeys, like he's been in the past, are some of the hardest men on earth.
"They're always having accidents, but for a few seconds I feared the worst. I thought he might have broken his back."
Mr Babbage had nothing but praise for the ambulance and hospital staff who cared for Norman afterwards.
He said: "They did everything they could and I can't thank them enough. A lot of people complain about the NHS, but the staff were wonderful."
Mr Babbage says he will be going to church this week to give thanks.
Speaking from the High Dependency Unit, Norman said: "I knew it was serious because I couldn't move. My dad had to lift a bale off me because I couldn't breathe."
Amazingly, Norman said he's been involved in worse accidents than the one that happened on Monday night.
Norman, whose most recent runner, Paddys Tern, won at Towcester on February 1, said: "I've been in some bad situations in the past.
"When a horse fell on top of me I broke nine ribs, had a collapsed lung, ripped tissue and a broken vertebra, so I'm used to it.
"I'm in the best possible hands here though and am being well looked after."
Mrs Babbage was worried the accident was life-threatening.
She said: "It could have been a lot worse. He could have been dead.
"When one of our office girls ran over to tell me what had happened I thought the worst. She said there'd been an accident so I rushed over."
Mrs Babbage added: "Everyone's rallying around to look after the horses."
Norman rode nearly 40 winners before taking out a trainer's licence and clinching his first win at Stratford in 1993. Since then he has trained over 25 winners.
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[ QUOTE ]
HE'S LUCKY TO BE ALIVE - DAD
Date : 14.02.07
Racecourse trainer Norman Babbage was nearly killed when two huge bales of hay crushed him.
Today, his father described the horrific moment he though his son was going to die.
The 44-year-old was knocked over and trapped by two one tonne hay bales at his stables in Brockhampton, near Cheltenham.
The hay fell 5ft from a stack, leaving Norman with a tear to his bladder and a leg broken in two places.
Norman's dad Brian, a builder, watched on his horror as his son screamed out in agony.
He and Norman's mum Mary feared the worst and say he is lucky to be alive.
Norman was taken to Cheltenham General Hospital, where his condition is comfortable.
The pair had been moving some of the 6ft hay bales, which were wrapped in polythene when six of them toppled to the ground.
Mr Babbage said: "Norman went round to fill up some hay nets to give to the horses.
"But because of all the rain and snow we've had, they were slippy and six of them fell off the top of the stack.
"I managed to shoulder one out of the way just by reacting so quickly, but two of them hit Norman with full force."
The 70-year-old said: "I grabbed his torso and pulled him out from between the two bales, but he was screaming "dad, dad" in agony.
"It was heartbreaking watching him go through so much pain.
"I rushed round to the office and told them to phone an ambulance, grabbed a blanket and covered him until the ambulance came."
Mrs Babbage, 65, travelled in the ambulance with him, while Brian followed behind in his car.
He said: "Norman's the luckiest man on earth. Jump jockeys, like he's been in the past, are some of the hardest men on earth.
"They're always having accidents, but for a few seconds I feared the worst. I thought he might have broken his back."
Mr Babbage had nothing but praise for the ambulance and hospital staff who cared for Norman afterwards.
He said: "They did everything they could and I can't thank them enough. A lot of people complain about the NHS, but the staff were wonderful."
Mr Babbage says he will be going to church this week to give thanks.
Speaking from the High Dependency Unit, Norman said: "I knew it was serious because I couldn't move. My dad had to lift a bale off me because I couldn't breathe."
Amazingly, Norman said he's been involved in worse accidents than the one that happened on Monday night.
Norman, whose most recent runner, Paddys Tern, won at Towcester on February 1, said: "I've been in some bad situations in the past.
"When a horse fell on top of me I broke nine ribs, had a collapsed lung, ripped tissue and a broken vertebra, so I'm used to it.
"I'm in the best possible hands here though and am being well looked after."
Mrs Babbage was worried the accident was life-threatening.
She said: "It could have been a lot worse. He could have been dead.
"When one of our office girls ran over to tell me what had happened I thought the worst. She said there'd been an accident so I rushed over."
Mrs Babbage added: "Everyone's rallying around to look after the horses."
Norman rode nearly 40 winners before taking out a trainer's licence and clinching his first win at Stratford in 1993. Since then he has trained over 25 winners.
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