"Despite the accident, I always imagined that I'd be back on the track running."
The career-changing crash
In 2017, sprinter James Ellington was a rising athletics star. He was running 100 metres in under 10 seconds and saw his window of opportunity to compete for the major medals. In his words he was, "absolutely flying." With gold medals already under his belt in the relay, he knew he'd get onto the world scene that year.
But then a road crash in Tenerife changed everything. James was on a training camp for the World Championships and, on a rare weekend off, decided to visit the island's volcano. He was a motorbike passenger, involved in a collision that caused him to break his leg, ankle, and pelvis, "basically everything you don't want to happen as a runner."
What followed was four weeks in hospital, including three operations. James then spent six to seven weeks in a wheelchair before starting a programme of intensive rehabilitation.
From his hospital bed back in the UK, James knew he needed support. He got in touch with us to make a legal claim for his injuries and we arranged to visit him. James says, "The first thing they did was reassure me. They were there for questions. They had my back."
A lifelong dream
James's passion for running started at the age of three. Watching Ben Johnson and Linford Christie in 1988 was the first time he'd seen athletics on TV. Something struck a chord with him, and he decided that this was what he wanted to do. As a teenager his teachers tried to get him to focus on schoolwork, telling him he’d never make it as an athlete. He took part in his first international race at the age of 25 and still found himself under pressure to stop running and "get a proper job."
James says, "I got so much out of running. Learning to deal with adversity and loss, experiencing success at a high level, learning to be the best at what you do. The titles make the highs seem higher, so when you do get a gold medal you know what it's taken to get there."
James was able to draw on the same determination that got him on the track in the first place, to focus on recovering from his injuries.
He says, "I didn’t really have any fear. Knowing that I was alive, that was cool. I could move, I wasn't paralysed, so I could move forward. I'd programmed myself from a young age to just get on with stuff."
Legal support
James knew it was going to take something special to recover from the crash, let alone get back on the track. Having the right support in place was crucial.
As an international athlete herself, his lawyer Kylie Hutchison, Legal Director within our International Serious Injury team, shares his passion for sport. Kylie says, "I feel able to understand what it means to be an athlete and the loss he's suffered. He's competed at the highest level. He's experienced some real highs and some real lows too with the accident. He had his dreams and career snatched from him.
"James's case was complex and included arguments about who was at fault, which law applied, and quantifying his claim as an athlete. Understanding James's potential and having international expertise was crucial to securing the best outcome for him."
Kylie was able to secure an interim payment that took away some of the financial worry, and funded a rehabilitation package of injections, hydrotherapy, and physiotherapy.
James says, "If I’d not contacted Irwin Mitchell, I'd probably be in a sticky situation now. My career was swept out from under my feet, potential sponsors, funding. They made sure I was compensated rightly for the losses."
Focusing on the goal
James doesn't rely on anyone other than himself to get where he needs to be. His strength and conditioning coach Mike Burt says he has, "More drive, is more resourceful and more determined that anyone I’ve ever met."
Mike, who worked with James before the crash, says seeing James after the accident, "was a sombering moment. I knew how he should be as an athlete but to see him in that state was quite a shock.
"The headlines said he'd never walk again. When I spoke to him, I never doubted for a second that he'd get back on the track and I'd help him to do that."
James committed to a gruelling rehabilitation programme, even starting to lift weights from his hospital bed to encourage parts of his body to feel alive again. Determined to get off crutches as soon as possible, he had five rehab sessions a week and walked to the train station each day to put extra pressure through his leg and speed up his healing.
Mike says, "His training wasn’t any different for the first six months to one year while we recreated a normal human being. From then on, we found the athlete in him again."
In 2018 James stepped back on the track. He felt like he needed to show people what he was capable of. He remembers everything going wrong for him in the lead up to the race, but he felt that, "If I’m running, I need to run." He ran 100 metres in 10.9 seconds, everyone was cheering, and James relished in the moment. His finished his first race of the 2019 season in 10.4 seconds and started to feel like, "I was continuing where I left off. It was an amazing feeling."
Reflecting on the race and what he’d achieved, James said, "Physically I was able to repair myself to the point that I was able to compete again. But I'd used all my credits to get back."
Looking to the future
James officially retired at the end of the 2023 season. His comeback had revealed other opportunities and reignited his passion for coaching. He now mentors younger athletes and coaches team-sports players to increase their speed. He says, "I like to get the word out to other athletes coming through."
James has also taken up motivational speaking, which he started almost straight after the crash. At the time he spoke about what it took to get to a certain level, and more recently he's focused on what it takes to get out of a bad situation, which he feels is more valuable. He says, "I never aspired to be an inspiration, but it’s nice when people say, 'Your story's helped me get through a situation or an injury.' People take something from it and it's very satisfying."
Still wary of his pelvis in certain positions, James now enjoys Jujitsu, which he describes as physical chess that makes him think while doing something active.
Kylie says, "To see James bounce back and be such an inspiration to others, is why I do the job."
Wanting to instil hope in anyone who finds themselves at the start of a difficult journey, James says, "Try to be grateful for what you have. Try to change your mindset to look at what you have got rather than what you haven't. If you've got one person around you that loves you, try and attach your thoughts to that."
If you or a loved one's sustained a serious injury abroad and you need support and guidance, please reach out to our caring and professional team.
If you’re interested in finding out more about James’ public speaking and coaching, you can find him on social media:
X: @Jellington100m
Instagram: @jimmyells
LinkedIn: James Ellington OLY
0330 8088 816
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