Horrifying details of how a soon-to-be married father-of-two broke his neck in a bucks party prank gone wrong have been revealed.
Tim Cornthwaite, 29, from Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, will be wearing a neck brace when he gets married on Saturday following a near-tragic accident during his bucks party celebrations at a Gold Coast home last weekend.
It’s understood the concrete cutter was injured during a bungee jumping prank, where he was blindfolded standing up and fell forward into a children’s pool, landing awkwardly, The Sunshine Coast Daily reported.
He complained of soreness at the time but had no idea of the seriousness of the injury until Tuesday following a CAT scan and overnight stay in hospital.
Horrifying details of how a soon-to-be married father-of-two broke his neck in a bucks party prank gone wrong have been revealed
Tim Cornthwaite (pictured) will not let a broken neck ruin his wedding day this Saturday
Tim Cornthwaite will still marry his partner Chloe Zammit this Saturday
He was then transferred to Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital and returned home on Thursday night.
‘He has multiple unstable fractures to his neck. He is okay and will be 100 per cent okay eventually, we just have a long road of recovery ahead,’ his fiancee Chloe Zammit posted on Facebook on Wednesday.
She told The Sunshine Coast Daily earlier this week that her fiance is having trouble coming to terms with the injury.
Tim Cornthwaite, pictured with soon-to-be wife Chloe has since returned home
‘He’s not been coping having to lay flat in the bed,’ she said.
‘He can’t lift them (two sons, Luca, almost three, and Theo, one-and-a-half) at all. We’ll all just have to adjust to a new normal.’
Their long-awaited vows will go ahead this Saturday but will delay the reception by six months to coincide with Tim’s 30th birthday.
Tim is now in a halo brace for the next 3-6 months
‘It’s definitely not the day we’d been planning,’ Ms Zammit said.
Mr Cornthwaite now has a long road to recovery ahead of him.
It’s unknown wheter the talented soccer goalkeeper will ever play again and the family will have no income while Mr Cornthwaite is off work, who has to wear the halo brace for the next 3-6 months.
Ms Zammit has also had to give up work to look after him.
A GoFundMe page set up by friend Matt Enticknap to help the young family has already raised almost $8,900 within three days.
There are also plans to hold a charity soccer match to help raise funds.
Tim Cornthwaite (pictured) remains in good spirits. He has since had a halo brace installed
The Queensland tradie and talented soccer goalkeeper also has two young sons
‘Tim had his bucks party on the weekend and after going to the physio on Monday to get his neck looked at he found out he has multiple fractures in his vertabrae and now has to wear a halo neck brace that they drill into his skull for 3-6 months,’ Mr Enticknap posted on the page.
‘Him and the fiancée are in good spirits and see the funny side as they are two of the most down to earth, selfless people you’ll meet. Any help at all would go a long way in getting them through a pretty challenging time in their lives.’
Ms Zammit has since taken to social media to thank everyone for their support.
‘We are so overwhelmed with support, offerings of help and kind words,’ she wrote.
‘Tim is doing well, has been in and out of it since getting the halo fitted yesterday. But we are on the first step of the road to recovery now. He is already feeling all the love and we are so grateful for everyone around us.’
The couple (pictured), who have two boys under the age of three, have a uncertain six months ahead of them