A YOUNG MAN, left with horrific leg injuries following a motorcycle accident in his teens, has celebrated getting back on his feet by opening his own business in Dundee.

Mechanic Shaun Gray’s world was torn apart in January 2002 when he was involved in an accident close to St Saviour’s High School in the city whilst a pillion passenger on a motorbike.

His left leg was completely shattered in the impact and his recovery was to be a long and arduous process involving numerous complex operations.

When Shaun (22), was initially operated on, surgeons at Ninewells Hospital rebuilt his leg with various pieces of steel pinning and used an artificial kneecap to replace his own.

However, the constraints of the metalwork began to stunt the limb and a more radical solution was required to allow Shaun’s body to grow at a normal rate.

In 2006, Shaun became the first person in Scotland to receive an operation to insert an internal ratchet into his leg.

The device was expected to adjust automatically as Shaun continued to grow and allow his bones to stretch at the normal rate.

However, the surgery had its complications and Shaun —who lives in Tayport with his fiancee Jody and two-year-old daughter Alyx—has since had three more operations to correct the discrepancy.

Shaun told The Courier last night it was only relatively recently that he began to walk without a limp for the first time since the accident.

Now Shaun is using the same determination that got him back on to his feet to strike out on his own in business and he has recently started C&G Auto Specialists, which is based at West Pitkerro Industrial Estate.

He said, “I actually feel great about myself to tell you the truth but it is not all about me—it is down to the doctors and surgeons who have helped me as well.”