A DAD who lost his leg in a motorbike crash stunned doctors when he started walking again – just three weeks after having the limb amputated.

Dominic Forrest, 45, feared he would have to use a wheelchair for the rest of his life after doctors removed his badly injured right leg above the knee. But 29 days after the accident and 20 days after the surgery, he was back on his feet and leading a normal life thanks to the work of Dorset Orthopaedic at Ringwood.

He is believed to be the quickest leg amputee ever to be walking on a prosthetic limb.

Mr Forrest, a father-of-one from Salisbury, said: “When my leg was amputated, I could only think negatively.

“I didn’t know whether I’d be able to walk again or what the future might hold.

“The NHS doctors were originally talking about me being confined to a wheelchair on one level of my house for at least six weeks.

“But thanks to the treatment I have had, by the time my wheelchair was delivered I was practising walking outside.

“By the time I was supposed to have my first NHS appointment to discuss a prosthetic, I was already walking down to the local pub.

“Mr Forrest had been riding along the A15 near Lincoln with wife Marty when he was in collision with an oncoming car on August 2.

He was sedated for seven days while surgeons at the Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham operated to remove the severely damaged tissue.

After leaving hospital, he found out about the work at the private Dorset Orthopaedic clinic in nearby Ringwood and went for an appointment.

He added: “All the surgeons I’ve spoken to have said, ‘Wow, I’d never heard of anyone who is close to that’.

“I’ve received stunning care.

“Every single day I set myself a goal to go further than the day before, whether it was washing myself or walking a little bit further.”

Bob Watts, founder of Dorset Orthopaedic, said: “I’ve never known anyone to be up and walking quicker than Dominic in this country.

“He’s been fantastic. He’s given himself goals and has progressed really quickly.”