Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
DAD OF SUICIDAL TEEN RAISES CASH FOR ROBOTICARM
State-of-the-art prosthetic would help son badly injured in horrific train accident
The concerned dad of a Coatbridge teenager left feeling suicidal after suffering serious injuries during a horrific train accident is raising funds to buy his son a robotic arm.
Tyler Finnigan was just 15 when his hand was sliced off by a moving train after he accidentally slipped onto the tracks at Motherwell train station on April 2 last year.
Tyler had to have his left arm amputated and has since suffered serious mental health issues and contemplated suicide as he was left devastated by the loss of his independence. Now Tyler’s dad Kevin, 45, is trying to raise enough cash to buy his son a state-of-the art prosthetic arm to improve his quality of life because he does not have enough bone left in his limb to operate a prosthetic provided by the NHS.
Kind contributors have already donated more than £10,000 of the £16,000 target.
Kevin explained: “I have been working all through Christmas to save as much as I can.
“I have got epilepsy so I am meant to be off sick as I still have seizures.
“But I want to see my boy’s quality of life back again. I’ll keep going until he gets the arm.”
The concerned dad of a Coatbridge teenager who suffered serious injuries in a horrific train accident is desperate to buy him a robotic arm after the tragic incident left his son suicidal.
Tyler Finnigan suffered life changing injuries after he accidentally slipped onto the tracks at Motherwell train station on April 2 last year.
Tyler, 16, had to have his left arm amputated after his hand was sliced off by a moving train.
He suffered severe head trauma and was placed in an induced coma at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital while doctors inserted 12 staples into his wound. Medics also battled to save his right ear by sewing it back on.
Since the horrific accident, Tyler has suffered serious mental health issues and has contemplated suicide, devastated by the loss of his independence and haunted by traumatic night terrors.
His dad Kevin Finnigan, 45, is trying to raise enough cash to buy him a state-of-the art prosthetic arm to improve his quality of life because he does not have enough bone in his limb to operate a prosthetic provided by the NHS.
Tyler said: “I struggle with life on a daily basis. I can’t dress myself or tie my own shoe laces.
“I need help getting in and out of the shower. I can’t do simple things, like cut up a potato or butter bread.
“The worst part is going outside because I’m so paranoid everyone is staring at me.
“I take panic attacks whenever I hear a train and I have night terrors about the accident.
“I feel like all my friends have abandoned me and I’m in constant pain.
“I’ve contemplated suicide, but all I want is my independence – more independence than I have now.
“Getting a prosthetic arm would help me do that; it would mean the world to me.”
Tyler had been looking forward to starting a mechanics course the week after his accident but his plans for the future became impossible as a result of his injuries.
Dad Kevin is desperate to help his son regain his independence and is trying to raise money for an artificial limb that works by recording electric signals. The advanced electronics can cost anywhere up to £100,000.
Uk-based prosthetics firm Otto Bock currently offers the technology privately but the cost is priced per patient.
Their artificial limb, Dynamicarm, is similar to others available in America made by companies such as Open Bionics and Mobius Bionics.
Security guard Kevin is now “working day and night” to help fund a prosthetic for his son.
Kevin said: “Tyler has been struggling with his mental health and has been really low.
“It is heartbreaking for me to see him like this and feel like there is nothing I can do.
“A prosthetic arm that works will make a massive difference to his life.
“I’m concerned about his state of mind. He feels like I’ve got to help him wash and get dressed.
“He gets so frustrated that he can’t put on his own shoes.
“Getting him this arm is so important, it’ll help him regain his independence.
“I’ve been working all through Christmas to save as much as I can. I’ve got epilepsy so I’m meant to be off sick as I still have seizures.
“But I want to see my boy’s quality of life back again. I’ll keep going until he gets the arm.”
Donations to the fundraiser for Tyler’s arm can be made by searching for “Tyler Finnigan” on Gofundme.
I struggle with life on a daily basis. I can’t dress myself or tie my own shoe laces. I need help getting in and out of the shower Tyler Finnigan