Double amputee impaled on fence for 5 days - but DWP hasn't found him unfit for work

dailystar.co.uk:

unfit to work almost a year later. Dale Whitehurst's recovery and constant, 24/7 agony has left him trapped in a never-ending "bad dream" and is haunted by phantom pains.He says the "limited" amount of benefits he receives mean he is struggling to make ends meet, with the 44-year-old from Stoke, Staffordshire miraculously surviving five days of hanging upside down in the scorching heat last summer.His ankles were speared to the metal security railings in a stomach-churning incident that left Whitehurst hanging there for days.Dale is still coming to terms with everything, but says the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and local council have only added to his tough times, with the council alleging Dale owes them £400 for an emergency care package.Dale says that not only was he was assured he did not need to pay it back at the time it was issued, but the package was of little use as the carers who come round are unable to physically help him.

Despite Dale believing he fits the bill for Limited Capability for Work and Work-related activity (LCWRA), he has said the DWP is dragging its feet and blaming the hold-up on Covid backlogs.The decision is still pending over a year after the accident, and the amputee must receive a fresh "fit note" from doctors every few months to prove his situation hasn't changed.LCWRA would provide Dale with extra financial support with no expectation to return to employment.Dale said: "I have got more money going out than I've got coming in.

I am left with nothing while the [DWP] sit around and think maybe my legs will grow back."I should be awarded this automatically - I am a double amputee.