Schoolboy warns about the dangers of exploring abandoned buildings
A schoolboy has warned of the dangers of exploring abandoned buildings after he fell 20ft through a ceiling and suffered life-threatening injuries.
Dylan Smith, aged 11, was left with arm and pelvic fractures, broken ribs, a collapsed lung and lacerations to his liver, spleen and one of his kidneys. He spent weeks learning to walk again following the tragic accident.
He underwent specialist surgery at our Children's Hospital to rebuild his pelvis and is now on the road to recovery.
The brave youngster, from Stratford-Upon-Avon, is sharing his story in the hopes of warning his peers about the dangers of entering unused buildings.
He said: “I never thought I would fall and injure myself. I was just exploring and I really hurt myself. I am thankful to be alive and making a good recovery.”
While exploring with his two friends, he plummeted through a fiberglass ceiling.
His mum, Abby Smith, who works in a dental practice, added: “My friend called me to say that there had been a serious accident in the area and that Dylan might have been injured. When I arrived, there was an air ambulance on site so we knew something terrible had happened.
“I was in complete shock. This is the first time Dylan had done anything like this and I thought it just couldn’t be him.”
When Abby arrived at the scene, Dylan was in the back of an ambulance.
She shared: “I was so upset but I tried to remain calm for Dylan. Whilst he was awake, they were worried about internal injuries, so he was sent straight to the major trauma team at the Children’s Hospital.
“His pelvis had completely swung open and needed an external pelvic bar and a screw.”
The surgery was carried out at our Children’s Hospital by Mr Andrew Grazette, an expert in pelvis fractures, who was supported by a team from the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham (QEHB). Dylan was in our care for more than three weeks and received physiotherapy to help him learn to walk again.
Abby added: “Dylan is still receiving physio and in recovery but he is now back at school and walking without any aids. He was very lucky. His life was saved by the teams at BCH and the QEHB.
“We want to share this story as a warning to others not to enter empty buildings. They can have very unsafe structures inside, which can cause serious injury.
“I’m really proud of him for being open about what happened and sharing his story to warn other children about this.”
Dylan added: “Thank you to all the nurses and doctors who made me better again.”
Abby and her mum will be running the Half Marathon at this year's Great Birmingham Run to raise 
money for our Children’s Hospital Charity and thank the teams for their care.
Mr James Phillips, Orthopaedic Surgeon at our Children's Hospital, said: “It has been gratifying to see Dylan make such a good recovery following his serious injuries, managed by multiple teams working together.
“We are all delighted to see Dylan sharing his story in the hope that it may help other children and their families avoid going through what he has been through.
“While abandoned buildings and building sites are attractive propositions to explore, as Dylan has shown, they are dangerous places which we should all stay away from.”