Dai Walters: 'I remember being on the floor and the pilot trying to get my heart back going - they didn't know if I would pull through'
The owner and entrepreneur tells Lewis Porteous about his recovery from a helicopter crash that almost ended his life
Dai Walters takes a seat at his kitchen table in a chair that seven months ago he couldn't even lift himself out of. With his neat haircut, cleanly shaved face and crisp chequered shirt, he is looking well by anyone's standards – never mind for a man who came within a short head of losing his life almost a year ago to the day.
The self-made plant hire and construction magnate was left with a broken leg, ribs, shoulder, back and neck when the helicopter carrying him and five others clipped trees shortly after take-off and came hurtling to the ground.
Now, though, he can look forward to an afternoon of shooting in the Welsh wilderness – a sure sign he is feeling as good as he looks – and, while his recovery is not yet complete, he has already defied all odds by coming this far.
Read the full story
Read award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing, with exclusive news, interviews, columns, investigations, stable tours and subscriber-only emails.
Subscribe to unlock
- Racing Post digital newspaper (worth over £100 per month)
- Award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing
- Expert tips from the likes of Tom Segal and Paul Kealy
- Replays and results analysis from all UK and Irish racecourses
- Form study tools including the Pro Card and Horse Tracker
- Extensive archive of statistics covering horses, trainers, jockeys, owners, pedigree and sales data
Already a subscriber?Log in
Published on 11 November 2023inThe Big Read
Last updated 18:05, 11 November 2023
- Internal unrest and financial blows: is there a crisis brewing at the Jockey Club?
- 'There was a moment of rage - but he's a magnificent horse and it suits me that he's passed under the radar'
- Richard Hannon: 'When you're dead and buried the only things you're remembered by are your Classic winners'
- 'I'd try to join in with the kids playing football and the pain would shoot up my leg - it wasn't a good place to be'
- 'For the first few months after Betsy was diagnosed I'd drive to work and cry on my own in the car every single day'
- Internal unrest and financial blows: is there a crisis brewing at the Jockey Club?
- 'There was a moment of rage - but he's a magnificent horse and it suits me that he's passed under the radar'
- Richard Hannon: 'When you're dead and buried the only things you're remembered by are your Classic winners'
- 'I'd try to join in with the kids playing football and the pain would shoot up my leg - it wasn't a good place to be'
- 'For the first few months after Betsy was diagnosed I'd drive to work and cry on my own in the car every single day'