A teenager who suffered a brain injury has defied all odds by walking again - 19 months after his family were told he may not even survive.

Eighteen-year-old Sam Richards, who fell from a rope cage at Oak Tree Meadow play area, in Heybridge, in September 2012, has proved sceptics wrong by walking for the first time since his accident.

At the time, the former Plume School pupil’s family were told he was unlikely to pull through and medics described his head injury as the worst they had seen.

He was put in an induced coma while his life hang in the balance.

Despite the predictions, Sam, who is currently undergoing rehabilitation at a Clacton respite centre and attends Shorefields School also in the town, not only survived but is quickly learning to combat life’s obstacles again.

See this week's Standard for the full story.