This brave skateboarder hurtles downhill at breakneck speed despite having lost both legs when he was run over by a train.
Daniel Edmondson, 35, became a double amputee after falling onto a railway track into the path of a slow-moving train.
He was out with friends and had hopped onto the side of a carriage – something he had been doing for years – but this time, he slipped.
Former lifeguard trainer Daniel said: “I felt like I was being dragged by the zipper of my coat. It wasn’t until afterwards that I put the pieces together.
“Had I fallen in a different way it could have cut me in half.”
Daniel’s legs were severed below the knee but he miraculously survived the accident on Nicollet Island, Minnesota, USA, and was discharged from hospital after 10 days.
The sport lover was left believing he would never skate again because he had no ankles, which are usually used to control the board.
It wasn’t until he went sandboarding around nine months after the February 2014 accident that he realized there might still be hope.
When he quickly adapted to being on the slopes, thrillseeker Daniel decided to return to the skatepark and got back on a board for the first time that November.
Daniel tried to skate wearing his prosthetics, but he struggled to re-position his feet while traveling fast and suffered painful falls.
Around two years ago, in 2016, he decided to ditch his false legs in favour of skating on his knees.
Being closer to the ground resulted in less falls and gave him increased balance on the board, and Daniel said he’s now better at skating than he ever was with legs.
He can do 180s, ollies and other tricks, but above all loves downhill skating, which sees him race down steep slopes at up to 55mph.
Daniel, of Minnesota, Minneapolis, now hopes skateboarding will be introduced as a paralympic sport and dreams of competing.
The instructor and contest judge, who competes in adaptive skate contests, said: “It’s exhilarating.
“When I first woke up in the hospital bed I honestly thought skateboarding would be out of the question. I thought, ‘I don’t have ankles.’
“Then in around November I went sandboarding and it was amazing how quickly it comes back.
“It was honestly not that different to skateboarding, so the next day I went to the skatepark.
“I tried standing up on the board and got a feel for it and after that I just started practising and practising.
“I learned how to do 180s and curves, and I wasn’t anywhere near the ability that i was before but at least I could still skate.
“I fell a lot, I got hurt a lot, but I just chalked it up to, ‘I was just run over by a train. What’s the worst that can happen?'”
Around two years ago, Daniel, who doesn’t use a wheelchair at home, decided to try skating without his prosthetics instead.
He found that it gave him increased control and balance and meant falling off didn’t hurt so much, because he was closer to the ground.
“Skating with my legs taught me that I still could, but skating on my knees opened up the park to me,” he said.
“If I was going fast on my prosthetics and I wasn’t positioned correctly I would find it hard to reset my feet.
“If I’m on my knees, I can grab the board and touch the ground and do hops and 180s.
“I’m definitely a better skater now than I was before the accident.
“It has really helped me deal with becoming an amputee.”
Daniel said he hopes his story will inspire others with limb difference to pursue dreams that might seem out of reach.
He said: “I hope people see this and know that there is nothing you can’t do.
“You need to do things to challenge yourself that you think are impossible.
“If you’re committed, you will find a way.”
To follow Daniel’s journey on Instagram, visit @danieljedmondson
