British backpacker, Henry Dunn, loses arm working on a Larrimah, Northern Territory, farm

A British backpacker has recounted the horrifying moment his arm was crushed and then amputated after working on a farm in Australia.

Henry Dunn, 23, was in his last week of working on the Larrimah Station, five hours’ drive south east of Darwin, to prolong his visa when disaster struck on November 15.

While operating a post driver, used to stamp fences into the ground, his left arm was crushed and he was immediately flown 500km to Royal Darwin Hospital.

During emergency surgery, the decision was made to amputate his left arm just below the elbow.

Mr Dunn opened up on his horrifying experience on Monday as he attempts to raise money to pay for medical and rehabilitation costs that weren’t covered by insurance.

A resilient 23-year-old British backpacker, Henry Dunn (pictured), has recounted the moment his arm was crushed while working on a farm in the Northern Territory in November

After graduating from Cardiff Metropolitan University, in Cardiff, Wales, in 2020, and waiting almost two years for Covid-19 travel restrictions to lift, Mr Dunn was finally ready to embark on a his gap-year to Australia. 

‘I was finally able to fly out to Thailand on the 19th of January 2022 which marked the start of my year abroad travelling Southeast Asia and then progressing to New Zealand and Australia,’ Mr Dunn wrote on the GoFundMe page. 

‘In the 11 months of being away, I met amazing people, experienced new cultures, foods, and activities which all aided my personal development and view of the world.

‘For the last 3 months, I set out to work on a Cattle Station in the Northern Territory; an amazing experience where I learnt so much about working with cattle and station life.’

Although he lost his arm, Mr Dunn has remained positive and has documented his week-to-week rehabilitation process which has included two separate prosthetics being fitted. 

‘I’ve now tried on and brought home with me my first prosthetic. It’s the first of many – see it as a prototype,’ Mr Dunn wrote on Instagram.

‘My “residual limb” is changing shape all of the time as it goes through different stages of healing. Doctors explained the healing like baking a pie. 

‘The outside looks ready but inside is still raw; still a long way to go.’

He has most recently had a pin lock prosthetic fitted to his arm, which allows for more uses instead of just a hook. 

His arm had to be amputated just below the elbow after being flown 500km to Royal Darwin Hospital, but has maintained a positive outlook on life while rehabilitating  

Mr Dunn has started a GoFundMe page to help his life return back to order, and has raised £7,920 or just under AU$15,000.

While the Northern Territory Workers’ Compensation Scheme allows for, payment of medical and other reasonable expenses it is also a no fault scheme that means a worker can not sue an employer for negligence.

Under the law, it means Mr Dunn has been left out-of-pocket for ongoing rehabilitation costs to get his life back on track.

‘This includes things such as specialised equipment for sports and daily living which will enable me to continue participation as well as leisure activities including Cycling, Crossfit, Gardening, Fishing, Surfing just to name a few,’ Mr Dunn wrote.

‘Any donations you can give will be massively appreciated.’