I was close to dying in car crash - Antonio

Michail Antonio does not cognize however helium crashed his car into the tree. All helium knows is that helium did.

"The constabulary came and erstwhile they recovered maine I was successful betwixt the 2 seats. I wasn't really successful the driver's seat," helium recalls.

"They said it looked similar I was trying to ascent retired of the window, but due to the fact that my limb was truthful severely breached the symptom astir apt stopped maine from being capable to get out."

The archetypal pictures of his crumpled Ferrari, which struck a histrion successful Epping Forest connected a stormy Saturday successful aboriginal December, were shared connected societal media and near radical questioning whether Antonio was inactive alive.

The incidental near West Ham's grounds Premier League goalscorer successful infirmary for much than 3 weeks with a breached limb - and facing a gruelling travel backmost to fitness.

Today, Antonio insists helium volition play again astatine the highest level, and feels helium has been fixed "another accidental astatine life" aft helium was "close to dying".

The 34-year-old sat down for an exclusive interrogation with BBC One's Morning Live presenter Helen Skelton to bespeak connected his "horrendous accident".

Saturday, 7 December had started retired arsenic a emblematic greeting for Antonio, with West Ham grooming for a televised league lucifer against Wolves 2 days later.

He remembers the upwind "was windy, bedewed and horrific" connected a time erstwhile the Met Office had issued warnings for Storm Darragh.

Antonio had felt "lazy" erstwhile his spouse asked him to retrieve immoderate bags from their different car earlier helium acceptable off, truthful alternatively helium took his Ferrari - which helium says helium had doubts about.

"The backmost of the car kept swinging retired connected me, truthful I didn't consciousness safe," helium says. "I had had it for 3 weeks and I was already reasoning astir giving it back."

It was a determination that changed everything, but erstwhile asked what helium remembers astir the clang itself - which occurred connected his mode location - his reply is "nothing".

"It's weird, due to the fact that the full mode done this, I person been told that I was awake and was speaking to everybody - the police, the people, and the idiosyncratic who recovered me," helium says.

"My limb was wholly shattered and they got maine retired and enactment a splint connected it by the broadside of the car.

"Everyone believed I got an aerial ambulance out, but the chopper couldn't get disconnected the crushed due to the fact that of the storm, truthful I was driven to the hospital."

Three weeks ago, Antonio went to spot the remains of his car astatine the scrapyard.

"It gave maine a weird feeling successful my stomach. It conscionable made maine realise however adjacent I was to dying. I had seen the pictures but it was 10 times worse successful person. The car was an implicit mess. It was hard for me."

The archetypal representation Antonio has pursuing the clang is simply a little 1 connected the Sunday erstwhile helium was being spoken to by a frightened person - his long-time cause Mike Appiason.

By Monday, helium was capable to nonstop a supportive connection to his team-mates earlier their win implicit Wolves.

"I shattered my femur bony successful 4 antithetic places," helium says. "I had 1 azygous keyhole surgery. They enactment a rod successful my thigh with 4 bolts, truthful screws and bolts to knit it backmost together.

"My archetypal surgeon said helium didn't privation maine to enactment immoderate value connected my limb for 3 months, which is astir astir now, and you tin spot that I americium walking.

"We got a 2nd specializer who said I needed to commencement putting value connected it, expanding from 10% up to 100% wrong 3 weeks.

"But I kept my crutches for a further 2 weeks. Overall, they accidental it volition beryllium betwixt six to 12 months earlier my limb starts healing properly."

Antonio was besides keen to acceptable the grounds consecutive implicit speech connected societal media that helium had either been drinking oregon taken drugs.

He explains: "I was travelling backmost from grooming and, anyway, I've ne'er taken drugs successful my life. I've said I similar a drink. But successful this situation, determination were nary drugs, determination was nary drink. That's been ruled retired and confirmed by the police."

Antonio has spoken astir how therapy helped him cope with the decease of his begetter and break-up of his erstwhile marriage, which meant helium struggled to observe West Ham's Conference League triumph successful 2023.

When asked however helium would person reacted to the clang had helium not antecedently had therapy, helium says: "I wouldn't person processed it astatine all, oregon what I would person done would beryllium to propulsion it down and been aggravated oregon aggressive.

"Since the crash, I've been much affectional than I person ever been successful my life, but I consciousness similar it's better. Therapy is 1 of the champion things that's happened to maine successful my life."

The adjacent large question - tin you beryllium the Antonio of before? "Yes, 100%. I volition play again," helium replies.

But determination was 1 infinitesimal wherever helium doubted it. Two weeks ago, his physiotherapists asked if helium had career-ending wounded insurance. "I didn't slumber a wink that night," helium says, with a grin and shingle of his head.

Antonio's roadworthy to betterment volition beryllium a relentless travel requiring countless hours successful the gym, with moving the adjacent measurement successful his pursuit of fitness.

"That's what I americium focused connected and wherefore I americium moving six days a week. I've ever been affirmative from this situation. It's a horrendous accident, and it's a monolithic injury," helium says.

"It's the biggest wounded I've ever had successful my career. But the information that I'm already 2 to 3 months up of wherever I should be, I cognize that I'll play again, and I cognize that erstwhile I'm playing the crippled I'll get the sharpness back.

"I was 1 of the quickest astatine West Ham. So my assemblage wasn't the assemblage of a 34-year-old earlier I had the mishap anyway. I tin inactive beryllium crisp and inactive bash the business.

"People person ever doubted me. My intelligence spot is thing that I've ever believed successful and this is conscionable different setback, and it is not going to halt me."

When Antonio went to spot his destroyed Ferrari astatine the scrapyard, the fearfulness of not seeing his six children turn up near him with a sick feeling successful the pit of his stomach.

"The astir hard portion is that I astir wasn't determination for my children," Antonio says. "It's conscionable made maine happy, affirmative astir life, due to the fact that I've got different accidental astatine life.

"During this, we kept it distant from the kids. My eldest saw it, and helium struggled with it. He's 13, and evidently radical were showing photos of the car.

"So helium came down and saw maine successful the hospital. But the younger ones, they ne'er truly knew however atrocious the concern was. We benignant of avoided letting them get connected the internet."

The 1 large concession Antonio has made is helium volition not beryllium driving immoderate accelerated cars for a small while.

"I've ever been a instrumentality and person of sports cars and aged classics, but I can't prevarication to you, sports cars are not my friends," helium says.

"So close now, I person a Mercedes radical bearer and my member is my driver. For now, anyway, I'm staying acold distant from sports cars."

But Antonio added that helium did flooded his archetypal thrust since the clang past week. "I don't retrieve the trauma truthful I person nary nerves.

"The lone occupation I person with it close present is each clip I get down the wheel, I interest that adjacent if thing tiny happens, it volition beryllium similar 'ah, Michail's been successful a clang again', and that benignant of negativity gets successful my caput and gives maine a spot of nerves."

At the clip of the crash, Julen Lopetegui was Antonio's manager astatine West Ham but the Spaniard was sacked and has been replaced by Graham Potter.

Being truthful severely injured portion having a caller brag appointed astatine the nine acrophobic Antonio initially.

"That was horrendous for me," helium adds. "I'm not gonna lie, it was 1 of the hardest things for me, the information a caller manager came successful and I wasn't determination to amusement what I tin do, with my declaration up astatine the extremity of the season.

"It was hard for maine astatine the time, but the lone happening I tin absorption connected is maine and making definite I americium right.

"One happening I person had to realise is that it doesn't substance and I can't unreserved myself and enactment myself retired determination erstwhile I americium not close due to the fact that it would marque things worse.

"If I unreserved myself past that volition beryllium the crushed I didn't get a contract. As agelong arsenic I marque definite I americium close past I cognize I volition person done everything I can."

West Ham person funded Antonio's rehabilitation, including a travel to Dubai that progressive physio, rest, betterment and meditation.

The nine person helped to organise foundation initiatives to rise funds for the exigency services progressive successful rescuing him from the wreckage, including erstwhile the full squad warmed up successful Antonio shirts earlier auctioning them off.

Further enactment came from team-mate Jarrod Bowen who held up Antonio's garment erstwhile scoring against Wolves astatine the London Stadium.

And Antonio received a lukewarm reception erstwhile helium walked connected to the transportation astatine the caller home crippled against Newcastle portion helium was disconnected crutches.

"The emotion feels good," helium continues. "When I got into football, I did it arsenic a hobby and didn't enactment immoderate clubs.

"Now I americium decidedly a West Ham fan. What the nine did for me, the enactment they gave maine connected and disconnected the field, the hospitals and the specialists, was unbelievable. I convey the club, the fans, the exigency services, the radical astir me."

And connected being stopped successful the thoroughfare by fans anxious to cognize if helium volition return, helium adds: "I similar that radical attraction capable to travel and inquire maine the question, truthful I don't caput repeating it 1,000 times. The extremity is to beryllium backmost scoring goals."

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