A dance student has recalled the horror of seeing his bones stick out of his leg before it was amputated after he was run over by a bin lorry.
Sean Jerome, 21, from Bournemouth, is studying performing arts at Brighton Academy and was on his way to a dance seminar when he got into a horrific accident last September.
The dancer was skateboarding to college when he collided with the 46-tonne truck and was rushed to hospital.
He said: "The entire thing just happened so fast, I can barley remember the crash.
For more of the news you care about straight to your inbox, sign up for one of our daily newsletters here
"One minute I was cursing through Brighton looking forward to my dance seminar, the next I was on the floor looking down at my mangled leg.
"I remember briefly seeing my injury, and my tibia and fibula were sticking out my shin.
"That's when another driver came and put his jacket over my leg so I wouldn't panic."
Sean was blue-lighted to Royal Sussex Hospital where doctors desperately tried to save his leg. But within 48 hours of the accident, they had no choice but to amputate the leg below the knee.
After the operation, Sean was in for more difficulty when his stump got infected - meaning he had to stay in hospita for a month.
"I needed six more operations to make sure my leg was healing properly - it was a really difficult few weeks," he recalled.
Keen to get back to what he loves best, Sean decided to stay in Brighton and keep studying after he was discharged - telling his mum Shana and dad Paul he didn't want to take any more time off.
Determined Sean wanted to live on his own and learn how to do things for himself with one leg and was back in his university home by the end of October.
While he waited for his skin graft to heal, he taught himself to do basic tasks like cooking and bathing himself on one leg.
Three weeks ago, he went back to lectures again for the first time since the accident - either wheeling himself on campus or getting a lift with friends.
He's now on the waiting list for a prosthetic leg which is due to arrive within a month. When it does, Sean is determined to get straight back in the dance studio.
He said: "There was a time after it happened where I did feel really down and depressed.
"It could have been so much worse, if I'd had to have an above the knee amputation I would of lost the whole range of movement in my leg.
"I don’t want people in the same position as I was to feel like having an amputation is the end of life as they know it.
"Obviously bad things can happen in life, but if you you a have a positive mind set and a strong support system around you then things can quickly get better.
"Everything is completely normal for me now apart from I'll need to pop a leg on in the morning and take one off when I go to bed."
He added he thinks that, in many ways, 2021 was the "best year of my life."
Sean said: "I've always struggled with confidence, but now I have an injury that separates me from the crowd, I have embraced being different.
"I can't wait to be back performing, and I'm feeling more positive about life now than ever."
East Sussex police said: "Emergency services were called to Hollingdean Road in Brighton at 8.26am on Thursday 23 September 2021, to reports of a collision involving a lorry and a pedestrian.
Do you have a real life story to share? Email jessica.taylor@reachplc.com
"The pedestrian - a man in his 20s - was taken to hospital with life-changing injuries
"Enquiries are ongoing, and anybody who witnessed the incident or has relevant dash-cam footage can contact police online or by calling 101, quoting Operation Nettle."
