Scaffold victim awaits surgery

In an interview at the hospital, Simmonds said doctors examined his leg last week and a decision was made on how to proceed with surgery. One option discussed was grafting bone from his hip to replace bone missing in the tibia (shin bone and the larger bone in the calf).

Simmonds said the doctors decided a less complicated surgery would be to shorten the smaller bone (fibula — outer bone) so the broken tibia bone could meet and heal.

Simmonds said, “my leg will be a little shorter.”

His left leg was amputated on July 12 because it was badly damaged after a scaffold at the construction site of the new Customs and Excise Building collapsed and injured 20 workers. Simmonds was the most seriously injured.

He said his four other colleagues who were hospitalised have been discharged.