Exclusive:
Simon Clark was virtually decapitated in a car smash that killed his long-term partner, but he promised himself he would one day climb to Everest’s base camp
A former estate agent who was branded “the most broken man in Britain” by paramedics after a devastating car crash killed his partner and left him virtually decapitated has defied doctors by climbing Everest.
When Simon Clark, 44, survived the terrifying smash in October 2019 that killed his partner of 20 years Lindy, 57, doctors predicted he would never again walk, talk, eat or breathe by himself.
His spine and neck were broken, leaving his head connected to his body by only muscle and skin.
Lying in his hospital bed, Simon, of Cirencester, Gloucestershire, promised himself that not only would he prove his doctors wrong, he would one day climb to Everest base camp.
And in September this year he achieved his dream, saying: “It wasn’t an easy challenge. I was supported by one sherpa and one porter to climb to base camp.
“In the first few days that we were on the 12 day climb, four people out of 12 who were attempting it had to be airlifted off the mountain. They were experienced climbers, who were coughing up blood because of altitude sickness. People don’t appreciate how dangerous it is up there.”
Simon’s life changed in a split second five years ago, when his partner Lindy lost control of the car on a bend, as they drove to the shops to buy groceries.
Simon says: “I don’t know if she swerved to avoid something on the road, or if it was wet, but she lost control going into the bend and then tried to over correct.
“We ended up on the wrong side of the road. Then an oncoming driver smashed into the side of our car.
“Afterwards, the police report said no one was to blame. it was just a tragic accident that was nobody’s fault. The other driver, thankfully, escaped serious injury.”
No-one expected Simon to survive the crash, as Great Western Air Ambulance medics, who treated him at the scene, airlifted him to Gloucester Royal Infirmary.
He says: “I shattered the top three vertebrae of my spine. It took my head completely off my shoulders. My head had pulled up and clamped back down, something that is very rare and they hadn’t seen it before.
“It’s what saved my spinal cord. My head was flopping around, held together by soft tissue.”
Simon was also left with a gaping hole in his aorta heart valve, a damaged heart and various broken bones, and had to be resuscitated several times.
Despite his grim prognosis and his devastating loss, Simon clung on to life.
He says: “I knew I had to start walking again, and I’d do it for Lindy. I could almost hear her voice urging me on.”
Taking his first steps in December that year, by March 2020, he could shuffle to the end of his hospital ward, but he still needed a wheelchair to get about.
He says: “I was so determined, I would shuffle a few steps further each day.
“By the end of April I could manage to get to the hospital garden, by July I could do some longer walks and by the end of 2020, I could manage a few miles. I walked along parts of the Cotswold Way, just building up my strength.”
Walking further and further every time, his goal of climbing Everest spurred him on.
He says: “When I got to the base camp after 12 days of trekking, it was such an emotional moment.
“I could feel Lindy there with me and I said a prayer for her when I arrived. She would have been extremely proud of me.”
Simon, who now works as a fundraiser for the Great Western Air ambulance, raised £12k with his trek and has set himself a goal to raise £4.5 million for the charity.
He says: “My GP has challenged me to walk to the North Pole, so that’s my next challenge!
“I hope to embark on that in about 18 months time and I will be doing it solo, supported by a team.
“No-one thought I was going to pull through after the crash, but the Air Ambulance did an amazing job in helping me survive, and I owe it to them to make the most of it.
“All the things I get to enjoy and do now are because of them.
“I try to live my life to the fullest every moment of every day.”
*To donate to Simon’s fundraising page, go to his GoFundMe.
Oddbox offers £8 ‘wonky’ veg boxes as a savvy alternative to Lidl for Christmas dinner
