WARNING: Graphic content
A New Zealand man has detailed his incredible journey to recovery after he was struck by 120,000 volts of electricity, twice.
Troy Hall was 22-years-old when he was involved in a freak accident while working at an avocado orchard with his father John in 2011.
Heavy rainfall had lashed the region making for wet conditions as Troy used a cherry picker to retrieve avocados during the latest harvest.
Troy Hall was 22-years-old when he was electrocuted twice while picking an avocado harvest with his father in 2011 (pictured)
His father had warned him to be careful of the overhead powerlines, but he described himself as ‘young and fearless’ and had laughed off the warning.
Two hours later Troy was first electrocuted on the right side of his head.
It’s believed an electric arc jumped from the powerline, hitting the right side of Troy’s head.
His father had heard a ‘cackle’ from a distance and rushed over to get to his son, but by the time he arrived Troy had been struck a second time through his chest.
‘It lit me up in flames,’ he told Daily Mail Australia.
Troy was electrocuted on the right side of his head and a second time through his chest
He was placed into a coma and when he awoke doctors warned him he wouldn’t be able to walk or talk again
‘Dad was in a desperate attempt trying to get me down, I was six metres up in the air at that stage,’ he said.
His father was jolted back 20metres himself while trying to manually override the cherrypicker to bring Troy down.
Troy detailed his long road to recovery after he was electrocuted twice in a freak accident 10 years ago
Troy described himself as ‘young and fearless’ before his accident (pictured, Troy left before the accident)
Parts of the story are still a blur to Troy, he believes the first electrocution killed him and that the second time he was struck had brought him ‘back to life’.
‘I was completely blind after the accident I could only hear voices,’ he said.
‘Everyone was crying and panicking. I was trying to get up and my father was trying to hold me down.
Troy describes his seven-year-old daughter Nevaeh (pictured), as the ‘miracle after the accident’
‘The ambulance put me on the stretcher, at that stage I started swelling up about fives times my size in the end.’
He recalled paramedics telling him he needed to be put into a coma after suffering third degree burns to 60 per cent of his body.
‘My first thought was “am I going to wake up?”,’ he said.
Troy spent the next two weeks in intensive care, he remembers waking up and weighing a mere 35kg.
‘When I woke up I realised how bad it really was, I couldn’t move, I couldn’t do anything and I couldn’t really see or talk,’ he said.
He suffered third degree burns to his leg, torso and arms, with doctors suggesting his right leg and right arm would need to be amputated.
He said he credits his daughter for encouraging him to ‘getting out and trying to live a normal life’ (pictured)
‘My body was burning inside out, like a microwave oven,’ he said.
Doctors also told Troy it was unlikely he would be able to walk or talk again.
‘All I thought back then was “I’ll show you, I’ll walk again”,’ he said.
After a few weeks out of ‘sheer determination’ Troy took his first steps and regained his voice shortly after.
Now 32-years-old it’s still hard for Troy to talk about the accident.
Describing the next three years that followed as ‘hell’, Troy said he’s starting to see the light these days.
He credits his seven-year-old daughter Nevaeh, as the ‘miracle after the accident’ and a driving force in his recovery.
‘She was my motivation for getting out and trying to live a normal life,’ he said.
He says he still has his down days where he battles with anxiety over his appearance but after joining a burns support group six years ago he feels ‘less alone’.
‘I try my best to push through those negative thoughts’
‘When I met up with the burns group they were a great support. I’ve embraced it now rather than being embarrassed about it.’
These days Troy has started his own avocado business venture called Crispy Avo, which he hopes will grow big enough so he can start helping others.
‘I really want to start helping others with the money made from it and start giving back to the community,’ he said.
‘I want to start giving back to burns support group, St Johns, and the organisations that pretty much saved my life.’
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Read more at DailyMail.co.uk