By Ron Moore
Daily Record & Sunday Mail
WEST LOTHIAN, Scotland — A teenage football star has been left paralysed after his brain was impaled by a kite that pierced his eye socket.
Iain Carmichael, 17, is fighting for his life after the freak accident on his way home from training.
The Scots lad - who emigrated to Australia with his family four years ago - was walking in Perth’s Secret Harbour when a kite being flown nearby hit him.
It just missed Iain’s eye and his sight is intact. But he suffered a brain injury and was paralysed instantly.
The horrified family who were flying the kite ran to Iain’s aid.
Medics are now trying to establish the extent of the damage to his brain.
They said a scan revealed a “grey patch” and he has been left paralysed down his right-hand side.
He is in intensive care at a hospital in Perth in Western Australia.
The incident meant he spent his 17th birthday in hospital with his family, from West Calder, West Lothian, at his bedside.
Iain’s father Robert said they had been through the worst but were delighted when Iain woke from a coma on his birthday and managed a few words and a smile.
He added: “The first few days in intensive care, we were just wrecked.
“We didn’t know what damage had been done and now he’s had a few brain scans but it’s still a waiting game. They don’t know if this grey patch is hiding behind the bleeding or it’s just reappeared.
“It could be either brain cells repairing themselves or dead brain cells. We won’t know until the next scan.”
Iain had been looking forward to a promising career as a footballer.
He is a star player at his local club, Mandurah FC, and recently won a string of awards from his school’s football academy.
Iain had also previously been picked to train with Brazilian side Desportivo, whose record-breaking young striker Bruno Gomes, 16, has just signed for Manchester United.
He also considered coming home to Scotland to further hone his skills before possibly relocating to the US, where a number of American colleges have been expressing interest in the teenager.
Robert added: “He’s fit and healthy and I’m glad he’s done all that training to make himself strong. He’s a remarkable lad.
“There’s a long way to go but we are delighted with the progress he’s making.”
Messages of support have been flooding in from Iain’s team-mates on their football academy Facebook site.
One message read: “Football Tech would like to wish Iain Carmichael a speedy recovery and know you are in our thoughts.”
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