Scott broke 11 ribs, his collarbone, and several vertebrae, alongside suffering a brain bleed and damage to his lung and kidney
Neil Shaw Network Content Editor
11:39, 18 May 2026
Scott in recovery after his serious fall
A dad seriously injured in a fall while doing DIY at home remains in hospital months later. Scott Blankley, a 47-year-old experienced construction worker from Bristol, suffered a catastrophic fall at home while painting an external wall for a loft conversion in January.
Scott fell three-storeys whilst working from a ladder, breaking 11 ribs, his collarbone, and several vertebrae, alongside suffering a brain bleed and damage to his lung and kidney. Scott remains in hospital while he recovers from the accident.
Scott’s brother Kai Blankley and his whole family are trying to raise money to help Scott and his young family on his long road to recovery. Kai said: “If you know my brother Scott he is family first. It starts with Jo, his lifelong partner, and their two incredible kids, Annabel and Finn. They are his world, his centre of gravity, and the reason he’d move mountains without a second thought.
Scott’s family are raising money to help him
“Scott is still fighting. A fall that would have killed many has become, for him, another mountain to climb: a bleed on the brain, eleven broken ribs, a collarbone, shoulder blade, several thoracic vertebrae, a lung, a kidney—most people wouldn’t come back from that. But Scott isn’t most people. “His job now is to keep fighting his way back to Jo, Annabel and Finn. And our job — his family, the people who love him, the people who have been pulled into that wide, ever-growing circle—is to rally together and raise the funds needed to support them.” The next fundraiser is the Bristol Triathlon in July. Kai has shared a GoFundMe page for donations.
A fall from height is the number one accidental killer in the workplace, with 35 fatal accidents in 24/25.
Scott and his children
The No Falls Foundation is working with Scott Blankley’s family to raise awareness. Hannah Williams, charity manager said: “Many people may think a fall from height results in just a broken limb, but the reality is much more severe. As well as often life-changing injuries, the individuals the Foundation helps often struggle with mental health issues, experiencing PTSD, anxiety, depression, and sleep disorders due to their accident.
“Beyond the physical pain, there can be a devastating loss of income, and some are never able to return to work. The ripple effect is huge; it isn’t just the person who falls—it affects their partners, children, and wider family. We want to prevent these tragedies and spread the word that the Foundation is here for anyone who has been affected.”
Peter Bennett OBE, Chair of the No Falls Foundation added: “Our hearts go out to Scott and his family; his journey highlights just how fragile life can be when we leave the ground.
Scott and his children
“Scott is a survivor, but he is also a reminder of the thousands of ‘near-misses’ that happen behind closed doors and never make the official statistics. We want to change the culture so that people don’t feel they can ‘just’ get the job done at the risk of their lives. Taking a few minutes to assess a risk isn’t a sign of weakness—it’s the difference between a normal day and a tragedy”.
Scott, a dad of two, survived the fall and was rushed to Southmead Hospital in Bristol, where he had to learn to walk, talk, and even swallow again. A part of his skull was removed so that doctors could assess the bleed on his brain.
Kai, who lives in Swindon Village in Cheltenham, said: “It’s been really hard taking it all in. We’re all just trying to rally around Jo and the kids at the moment.
Hannah Williams of the No Falls Foundation
“He’s making remarkable progress in terms of his physical recovery so far. We feel pretty buoyed seeing the progress he has made. But then of course, you do have moments where it’s not been so pleasant. There are a lot of highs and lows.
“His little boy, Finn, who is nine years old, has only just started going to visit him, as he didn’t really want to at first. But his daughter Annabel, who’s 11, has been going in to see him quite a lot. They’re dealing with it pretty well.”
Scott spent his first week at Southmead Hospital in the ICU ward, before being moved to the neurology ward and then a rehab centre.
Kai said: “We’re definitely getting to see gradual progress. He was on life support to begin with, and then he was being fed through a tube for a while, but now he’s breathing by himself and he is back on soft foods.