Brown Book Loft Blog

Losing a finger or toe is not a very nice experience, but to lose both legs and wake up in a hospital bed, emerging from a seven-week coma and lucky to be alive is devastation! This is what happened to 29 year old Ian Colquhoun, now a very talented writer and historian who says after being horrifically injured in a brutal, unprovoked and gruesome attack, “Losing my legs is the best thing to have happened to me.”

Ian was callously set on fire, which resulted in just about three-quarters of his body being burnt. Being close to death three times caused many news reports to go out over the web, which resulted in many people sending their prayers and get-well wishes for Ian to pull from death’s door.

Speaking about the incident which led to Ian losing his legs he says, “I had just landed a new job working in a Dundalk (Ireland) warehouse as a picker; I was making a new start after living in Scotland all of my life. I struck lucky in dating an Irish girl and took her to a Christmas party. After falling asleep on the couch I ended up being viciously attacked, set on fire and left for dead.”

The road to recovery has been a long personal battle where Ian even considered suicide a number of times. Having little prospect of working in a ‘normal’ 9-5 job made Ian consider other occupations. He had an interest in military history since a child and decided to embark on a writing career. Although he had no experience of writing, he penned two books which were accepted for publication. Furthering his interests even more, Ian took up an opportunity to become a movie stuntman. He would later find that his loss of limbs would actually be an advantage to some of the roles he was offered to play. Sadly the Irish authorities did not deem his circumstances strong enough to warrant a compensation payout, and no one has been brought to justice for the attack.

The former warehouseman has turned his life around since his ten month stay in hospital following the incident in Eire. Prior to being fitted with made to measure prosthetic limbs he spent two-and-a-half years in a wheelchair.

After appearing on the UK’s ‘Richard And Judy Show’ and having his book “Burnt” reviewed as ‘well written’ by Richard Madeley, Ian went on to star as a stuntman in a big screen movie ‘Ocean Of Fear’ as a wounded sailor. The film is about the USS Indianapolis, a US navy cruiser that was sunk in Guam in’45.

Now looking back on his hospital stay Ian Colquhoun says, “It was scary – I was covered in bandages and they told me about my legs. Thinking it was a nightmare I thought I could feel my legs. I was sure I had my trainers on, I thought they were just winding me up. All I could think was, ‘Oh no, my life’s screwed up now. I won’t be able to walk again, play football or be able to go out on the pull.’ I thought to myself that I would be better off dead. Now after years of operations and physiotherapy I’d not recommend this as a lifestyle change, but if I hadn’t lost my legs then none of these opportunities that have arisen would never have come my way. The one thing I keep telling myself is that my life has changed for the better and that losing my legs was the best thing to happen to me.”

Ian, now stunt trained and proficient in the use of many pre’00 firearms, has penned his own life story called “Burnt” in anticipation that it will give hope to amputees around the world.

writer, historian and double leg amputee Ian Colquhoun is an inspiration to all. Read his sensationalstory here in his book “Burnt”.