A disabled man who suffered horrific injuries in a train accident says he has been dumped in a home for mentally ill patients.
Ron Tudor was told by social services that he would be living in his current care home for just two weeks – but he has been there now for 16 months.
The 66-year-old feels like he has been left in the “noisy” home that is unsuitable for his needs.
Ron’s life changed forever in 1985, when he was in a train accident while working in Germany as a computer consultant.
He leant on a faulty door, which swung open and he fell onto the tracks, his arm and the right side of his head were ripped off when he was hit by the rear carriage.
The accident left him in a coma for six weeks and when he woke up, he had no gag reflex, little speech or movement, plus muscle wastage on his right side.
He got no compensation from the incident, and had to go through 18 months of rehabilitation to regain some speech and movement.
Sadly, a series of strokes meant he lost the ability to talk but he is mentally well.
He moved to a bungalow in Steyning, West Sussex, where he lived independently with help from carers and then friend Sheila Lawrence, until she was unable to do it anymore.
She said social services moved him to Mewsbrook House in Littlehampton, West Sussex, temporarily in July 2016 while a free care home place in Steyning was found – but he has been there ever since.
He described it as ‘noisy’ and felt isolated at the home, which cares for people with challenging behaviour, mental health conditions and substance misuse problems.
His friend and former carer Sheila, 66, said: “I’m absolutely disgusted with social services. He’s just been dumped here.
“I don’t think they know what to do with him, how to help him or where to put him.
“We just want to get him moved. I just think it is so bad the way he has been left.
“There are people screaming all day, particularly in the lounge.”
Using a communication aid which allows him to type and play back speech, he said: “I just feel lucky to be alive.”
A West Sussex County Council spokesman said: “We are in regular contact with Mr Tudor and have supported him for a number of years both at home and at Mewsbrook House.
“We are aware he would like to move closer to the Steyning area and we are actively working with him to see how this could be achieved with the right placement.”
