AN IRISH jockey has told how he fought back to life after being 'dead' for six seconds following an accident in Perth.
Brian Toomey says he "achieved the impossible" as he gets set for a return to competitive horse racing early next month.
Toomey, 26, suffered serious head injuries and spent a fortnight in an induced coma following a fall in a handicap hurdle at Perth in July 2013.
Doctors at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee had to remove part of his skull to reduce swelling on his brain and he then remained in hospital for nearly six months, but he was granted a new jockeys' licence earlier this month and is keen to resume his career in the saddle.
Medical experts said his recovery is unprecedented, but he will not be at any greater risk than any other jockey.
"They can't get over it. I never gave up, and they reckon that was a massive help to me," he said.
"I'm quite positive about the whole thing. Without being overconfident, it's a real sense of achievement. Doctors told me not many people come out of that.
"At the hurdle where I fell apparently I was dead for six seconds. The paramedics resuscitated me. Then I was rushed to the hospital with a 3% chance of survival."
The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) confirmed on June 8 that 704 days after suffering the Perth injury, he has been relicensed as a professional jockey.
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