IAN BARACLOUGH has revealed how his horror honeymoon accident left him fearing he might never walk again.
On that fateful day in June the Partick Thistle sporting director was swimming in the sea in Mauritius after jetting there with wife Alexia, who he had wed just days earlier.
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But as he headed back to the beach he was suddenly lifted up by a wave then sent crashing into the sand.
He was left with little feeling below his waist and underwent an urgent six-hour operation that remarkably sees him back at his desk at Firhill today.
Baraclough, 54, said: “I was swimming then you’d jump through the odd wave. I didn’t think it was a massive swell. Waves weren’t crashing down.
“I tried to swim with a wave. It twisted me over and speared me into the seabed.
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“I landed on my head, my neck and my back. They bore the brunt and I broke four vertebrae — two in my neck and two in the middle of my back — and two ribs.
“Instinct gets you out of the water. I crawled on my hands and knees then went down on my haunches.
“People acted quickly. The ambulance came from the hospital about half an hour away. I was on the beach for about 45 minutes.
“By that time, I couldn’t feel my lower limbs. It was frightening. The surgeons were concerned whether I’d gain full use of my legs again.
“I was in surgery within three hours and was on the table for between five and six hours. By the time I came around it was a mix of pain and relief. The surgeons told me they were really happy with what they’d seen.
“They got me out of bed the next day to try and get me onto my feet and see what sort of movement I had.
“As soon as they asked me to wiggle my toes and move my feet, they knew there was a good amount of feeling there. That was something they weren’t sure about from the X-rays and scans beforehand.
“They didn’t know what they were going to find. The spinal cord was actually being impinged by the broken bone.
“I’m fortunate I wasn’t knocked unconscious because the ramifications could have been far more serious.
“I was possibly concussed but I’ve not felt any after effects of that. My memory of the whole saga is quite clear.
“I was also lucky the surgeon was on call. He’s done over 5,000 surgeries to necks and spines in India and Mauritius.
“He’s a superb surgeon and I’m very thankful for him. The three consultants I’ve seen over here have all looked at the MRIs and gone, ‘Jesus, how are you walking?’
“I’m very fortunate. I was supposed to be on holiday for ten days but ended up being on a tropical island for a month. It sounds great but a lot of that was in hospital.
“When we came out of hospital we were in a hotel with special access. We weren’t able to go around too much.
Baraclough’s honemoon horror
IAN BARACLOUGH admits he was stunned by the reaction to his terrifying accident — and so was his surgeon.
The Partick Thistle sporting director was inundated with messages and the headlines of his plight here got back to Mauritius.
Baraclough said: “I didn’t realise the impact it would have. A family member said, ‘Christ, I didn’t realise you’d get on Sky Sports for this reason’.
“I was in touch with the club. Agents were messaging, a lot of people within the game were getting in touch. It took me by surprise. I hadn’t heard from people for quite a while and perhaps didn’t realise they were still in my phone book!
“But it was great to hear from a lot of people. It just shows you the footballing world comes together at times and there are some good people.
“Even my surgeon came to me and said ‘we’re on the BBC’. He didn’t know I was involved in football. I asked him if he was a football man but he told me he was more into his cricket.”
“I did manage to walk along a beach towards the end, albeit wearing a back-brace. I probably looked a right sight.
“The hospital in Mauritius was fantastic and continue to ring to see if I’m progressing.
“It’s been three months now and I’ve not started physiotherapy. I had a meeting this week with a consultant here. The English NHS is quite difficult to deal with and that’s been a frustration.
“I no longer have to wear a back-brace or a neck-brace and I start my rehab soon.
“I’ve never been a person who is ‘woe is me’. It’s happened for whatever reason. Deal with it. Get on with it. I’ve always been active and tried to keep myself fit.
“The surgeon last week was worried I was going to throw myself back into contact sport. That finished a long time ago!
“I’ve got titanium rods in my back and eight screws holding my spine together. I’ll probably push it too far sometimes and my body will tell me.
“I’m someone who doesn’t like being beaten. I don’t think I’ll run a marathon again but I’ve ticked that box.
“If I can get out exercising, running, in the gym, maybe a bit of golf, that’d be nice. There’s a very good physio, Robin Dicke, at the club. One of his passions is working with neck and back trauma so he could be busy with me at some stage!”
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Baraclough landed his Jags role in April and oversaw the appointment of Mark Wilson as boss the day before he wed Alexia on May 30.
At the time of his accident the ex-Motherwell and Northern Ireland gaffer was working his probation period and wondered if the club would stand by him.
After they assured him they would, working on new signings from his hospital bed over 6,000 miles away helped keep him going.
He said: “You were worried about what the future looked like. I’d just started a new job.
“They could have dispensed with me. It was a tricky situation. We’d worked towards having Mark as head coach. You were looking forward to recruitment.
“To make calls and be on my laptop in a hospital bed wasn’t the start I envisaged. My wife knew that was ingrained in me.
“Everybody pulled together. Our head of recruitment, Lee Turnbull, was up here more than he envisaged.
“Lines of communication were open. It was a case of ‘call me when you can and if I don’t answer I’ll get back when I can’. I’m delighted the club supported me and the family. We’ve come through what could have been a sticky period.
“I’m almost back full-time and feel a million times better.
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“I knew it was going to be a difficult role and we had to get it right. I think we’ve done OK.
“I couldn’t wait to get back, it was part of my rehab.”
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