Overview
- Jacob Butler, 14, cut his right leg down to the bone on April 30 when it snagged on wire as he jumped into the Blue Lagoon at Colliers Moss Park.
- A nearby fisherman applied improvised first aid to stem bleeding and paramedics airlifted Jacob to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital for urgent care.
- The wound later developed necrotising fasciitis that clinicians reported was caused by the freshwater bacterium Aeromonas hydrophila.
- Surgeons removed roughly 15cm of damaged tissue in lengthy operations and have performed a calf muscle transfer and skin grafts as part of reconstruction.
- Jacob is recovering at home with a permanently altered leg and his family has launched an Instagram campaign called JacobsWaterWarning to raise open-water safety awareness and push for better protections.