‘Miracle’ jockey who died and came back to life now set for new role in racing

Jockey Brian Toomey was declared dead by paramedics following a horrific racing fall in 2013 – but he's defied the odds to gain a training licence ten years later.

Once a promising young rider, a fall in a Perth huddle race led to an injury so serious that Toomey was pronounced dead for six seconds by medical officials.

He spent two weeks in an induced coma and had part of his skull removed to reduce swelling – with his survival chances put at 3%.

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Against all the odds he made a recovery to resume his racing career – and now has completed BHA modules to be granted a training licence a decade on from the fall.

The 34-year-old has said: "My injury was back in 2013 when I spent six months in hospital then it took more than a year to recover it was such a serious head injury.

"I got my licence to be a jockey again 704 days later and rode for nearly a season but trainers and owners were just a bit too worried to give me an opportunity in case I got a fall again."

Now planning to head to the sales to find horses to begin his training career, Toomey has a new purpose in the sport.

He added: "I have a few who have said they will support me by sending horses but I now have to sell myself.

“I know I’m the luckiest man in the world. I have to live with what happened to me forever. I have no effects from it.

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"My brain is fine. I don’t believe I am a walking miracle but it’s incredible what I have actually been through.

“I lost consciousness for six seconds, I was in hospital for 157 nights, I got my licence back 704 days after the injury.

"They said I had a three percent chance of survival. It’s a crazy fact."

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