Man had his hand amputated after it was crushed when his dune buggy flipped
- last year
A man had his hand amputated after it was crushed when his dune buggy flipped but says he can still "do anything he wants".
Justin Braden, 23, was driving six friends around his rural family property in a dune buggy when the vehicle flipped.
It slid down a hill - crushing his dominant left hand in the process.
He was rushed to Northwestern Hospital, McHenry , Illinois, US, in an ambulance where doctors told him he would have to have his hand amputated.
Waking up after the four-hour operation with a “giant looking club” where his hand used to be, Justin had to adjust to life without his dominant hand.
He was forced to give up his job as a landscape gardener and couldn’t do many of the activities he’d previously taken for granted - including writing, going bowling and even brushing his teeth.
But rather than feeling “sorry” for himself, Justin decided to “make the best of the situation”.
The day of the operation, he began posting about his recovery journey on social media.
The response to Justin’s posts was “overwhelmingly positive” and helped to give him the confidence he needed to push on with his recovery.
Just over 100 days after his accident, he can write, brush his teeth and even bowl a strike - all with his wrong hand.
Justin, a salesman, from McHenry, Illinois, US, said: “I knew I could either feel sorry for myself and cry every day, or I could make the best of the situation.
“Showing people everything I can do without a hand helped me to realise that losing my hand wasn’t the end of the world - it’s just the start of a new chapter."
Justin had his hand amputated after it was crushed in a car accident on his family property.
When Justin came out of surgery he had a “giant club for a hand”.
Justin took to TikTok to update his friends on the accident, and he was overwhelmed by the response.
Justin Braden, 23, was driving six friends around his rural family property in a dune buggy when the vehicle flipped.
It slid down a hill - crushing his dominant left hand in the process.
He was rushed to Northwestern Hospital, McHenry , Illinois, US, in an ambulance where doctors told him he would have to have his hand amputated.
Waking up after the four-hour operation with a “giant looking club” where his hand used to be, Justin had to adjust to life without his dominant hand.
He was forced to give up his job as a landscape gardener and couldn’t do many of the activities he’d previously taken for granted - including writing, going bowling and even brushing his teeth.
But rather than feeling “sorry” for himself, Justin decided to “make the best of the situation”.
The day of the operation, he began posting about his recovery journey on social media.
The response to Justin’s posts was “overwhelmingly positive” and helped to give him the confidence he needed to push on with his recovery.
Just over 100 days after his accident, he can write, brush his teeth and even bowl a strike - all with his wrong hand.
Justin, a salesman, from McHenry, Illinois, US, said: “I knew I could either feel sorry for myself and cry every day, or I could make the best of the situation.
“Showing people everything I can do without a hand helped me to realise that losing my hand wasn’t the end of the world - it’s just the start of a new chapter."
Justin had his hand amputated after it was crushed in a car accident on his family property.
When Justin came out of surgery he had a “giant club for a hand”.
Justin took to TikTok to update his friends on the accident, and he was overwhelmed by the response.