Back on his feet – Galway farmer gets new lease of life
A County Galway farmer who lost a limb in a farm accident five years ago has returned from America with a state-of-the-art leg that allows for greater mobility.
And Pete Gohery from Eyrecourt was even assured by specialists that he could take up the game of golf if he so wished.
But the farmer and building contractor will never forget the day in 2009 when he got caught in an unprotected power take-off (PTO) on his tractor.
It removed one of his legs above the knee and was lucky that his other leg did not suffer a similar fate but for the quick thinking of his ten year old son at the time Ryan who immediately switched off the tractor.
He spent three months between hospital and rehabilitation and now spends some of his time talking to farmers and farm students about the importance of implementing safety measures.
Farm safety has become a huge issue in recent weeks following the deaths of children on farms in Offaly and Cork.
But Pete Gohery describes himself as one of the luckiest people in the world to be alive and be in a position to offer advice to other farmers.
“I lost my left leg above the knee and my right was also badly damaged to the point of nearly losing that too.
“It was absolutely devastating; as I knew it would ruin my career and change my life. I count myself lucky that my son, who was ten at the time, was with me, as he called the ambulance straight away.”
Pete, who has had two prosthetic limbs since the accident, was in America recently and was asked to try out a new leg by a company that provides such limbs to the army in the event of soldiers being seriously injured.
He was given a new leg with electronic knee joints and said that it has given him much more freedom.
“They even told me that I could now play golf on it because it is so flexible. It also takes a lot of pressure off the good leg”, he added.
Read more in this week’s Connacht Tribune