Army captain loses his leg on Cresta Run

An Army captain survived a six month tour of Iraq unscathed only to have his leg torn off attempting the famous Cresta Run in Switzerland.

Captain Bernie Bambury, 32, lost his right leg below the knee after he hit a marker post at a speed of up to 80mph on the 4,000ft-long tobogganing course in St Moritz. His leg was shattered and severed hundreds of yards from the finish.

But the brave soldier, from 4th Battalion The Rifles, completed the run before asking friends: "Is my ankle broken?"

He then heard the horrifying reply: "It's not broken, it's gone."

The Army officer underwent nine operations by medics who tried to sew the limb back on but Capt Bambury was told it might take two years for him to walk again and he was unlikely to regain full mobility. As a result he gave the order for surgeons to cut it off, preferring the certainty of recovery with a false leg.

He is now at the Headley Court military rehabilitation centre near Leatherhead, Surrey, which has gained a strong reputation for helping those with multiple injuries and fitting soldiers with prosthetic limbs.