He’s even planning to create some group outings together. The silver lining to the whole experience may be that he is building a local network with other people passionate about urban exploring. Michael is also keen to emphasize the community spirit behind urban exploring and mentions that since he posted about his recent experience, he has received countless expressions of support from fellow urbexers. He then tells DIYP about how he once broke his big toe by falling through some rotten floorboards. We always bring water too.” He stresses that it can sometimes be risky, dead bodies aside. “Take a flashlight, spare batteries, and a mobile phone with extra chargers. Michael has some advice for anyone new to the field and likens it to going out hiking in the wilderness. We just want to have a look around, see what’s there,” he adds. “We respect the history of the buildings. We don’t damage anything, we don’t steal, there’s no breaking and entering,” he continues. “We abide by an ethical code,” says Michael, “we only take photographs. Contrary to popular belief, urbexers have a strong ethical code and are keen to break ties with petty vandalism. “I’ve encountered live humans before in my exploring, but this was the first dead one I’ve found,” he quips. However, he’s not new to urbex and fortunately had enough experience to know how to deal with the situation. Michael has since gotten over the shock, although acknowledges that this sort of discovery is almost always in the back of an urban explorer’s mind. Michael and Aaron were thanked by the police for alerting them, and were not in any trouble for the manner in which they found the body, nor were they in any way connected with the case. The men had to give a statement and were then sent on their way. “After thinking about it briefly, we knew we had to call the authorities,” says Michael, “it was just the right thing to do.” Once the police arrived, they alerted homicide to continue the investigation, and the building was declared a crime scene and taped off. But urban exploring is often considered a bit of a grey area legally and obviously, the men didn’t want to get into any trouble for trespassing. It was clear that something had to be done, they couldn’t just leave the body there. It took Michael a moment to register what they had found, “and then we just ran out of the building as fast as we could,” he adds slightly ruefully. They told me I shouldn't be here.The men reacted in shock to the discovery. He said: "The doctors and nurses couldn't believe it, that I even survived the initial injury, never mind the fact that I flagged down a passing ambulance and then survived the gruelling surgeries. He says doctors have dubbed him as a medical miracle after he survived third degree burns across 47 per cent of his body, which left the bone exposed in both arms. These included skin grafts, a craniotomy to relieve pressure from his brain and a pioneering surgery to apply artificial skin, known as Biodegradable Temporising Matrix, to his burns.ĭarren, from Middlesbrough, claims the surgeons told him they had "never seen anything like it" in their 30 year careers. Mum begs doctors to give son more time after 'freak accident' left him in a comaĮxperts performed 23 surgeries.The lottery winners for whom the jackpot was a curse.I threw myself in front of it and the next thing I remember is waking up 27 days later."ĭarren had been transported to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham where he had been placed in an induced coma as doctors battled with his injuries including multiple organ failure and sepsis. I was stood on the side of the road for a couple of minutes when an ambulance came round the corner. "My face was hanging off like a flap and my windpipe was exposed. My forearms were completely debrided, I could see right to the bone. "I ran for my life and somehow managed to scale a 10ft fence not knowing the damage that had already been done to my body. I don't know what brought me back but I remember waking up and my whole body was on fire, I was a human fireball. He said: "My life flashed before my eyes and I was dead for a few minutes. Darren Harris suffered major burns across his body when he got an electric shock while urban exploring (Image: Darren Harris)
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