A tree surgeon has warned of the devastating impacts of the summer heatwave after he narrowly escaped death when he fell 35 feet head-first into a shed when a branch suddenly snapped due to “heat stress”. Grant Clark, 35, spent three weeks in hospital after falling from an oak tree which had become brittle due to the drought – suffering a broken nose, facial fractures, a fractured left elbow, and a brain bleed on August 9 this year.
Left with no memory of the “freak accident” due to post-traumatic amnesia, Grant – who is self-employed and lives in East Grinstead, West Sussex, with his wife Rachelle, 29, also a tree surgeon, and their two children Khia, eight, and Kyan, five – now fears he will not be able to return to the job he loves and is worried about how the family will pay their bills. But he also accepts he is “lucky to be alive” and, having made it home to his family last week, is expected to make a full recovery eventually.
Grant, who has been a tree surgeon for 18 years, said: “I don’t remember falling, but the drought and heat would have had an adverse effect on the trees and made them brittle. When it is really dry, trees will begin to decline and that can become dangerous. But I am just grateful to be with my wife and my children.”
