'I was sitting on the railing of my third-floor balcony - then my life changed forever'

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

A young man has been left paralysed from the neck down after plunging from the balcony of his third-storey flat. Callum Falconer had been sitting on the railing of the balcony prior to the fall, which he admitted was “his own fault”.

The 26 year old said it was a “miracle” he was still alive after he snapped his neck and broke his spine, ribs and hips in the accident.

Doctors told him if the break on his neck had been “three millimetres higher”, he would have died instantly. READ NEXT: 'I developed anorexia as a teenager after seeing the propaganda in men's health magazines' Callum was airlifted to the Royal London Hospital following the fall and remains there - having spent the last three weeks undergoing a three-stage neck surgery, which has involved placing metal rods in his neck, repairing the break and removing bone fragments.

Callum, a mechanic from Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, still only has minimal movement in his arms but he says he's "just happy to be alive” and is determined to make the best recovery possible.