Leader comment: From disaster springs hope

A moment of drunken stupidity was to have devastating, life-changing consequences for Paul Johnson. The 24-year-old lost both of his legs in November 2014 when he suffered a severe electric shock while crossing a railway line in Glasgow.

Double amputee Paul Johnson, 24, who lost both of his legs in November 2014 when he was hit by an electric shock as he crossed a railway line in Glasgow. Picture: Andrew Milligan/PA Wire

Mr Johnson spent months in hospital, undergoing intense rehabilitation and learning to walk again, with the use of prosthetics.

Having found the determination to walk again, Mr Johnson is focused on achieving another extraordinary ambition. Just three years after his accident, at a time when his head was “messed up” and his alcohol consumption too high, Mr Johnson is preparing to join the crew of a tall ship for a week at sea.

With the help of the charity Finding Your Feet, which offers support to amputees and their families, Mr Johnson has not only refused to let his injuries defeat him, he has turned his life around.

Of course, those who have helped him deserve our admiration, but Mr Johnson is the hero of this story.

His strength of character shows that, with determination, the most remarkable things are possible.