Bungee accident survivor in Swindon attempts to pull a world record van pull

A man who survived multiple injuries when his bungee jump cord snapped is aiming to set a world record by pulling a van.

Mike Land, from Swindon, wants to set a new Guinness World Record by pulling a 1.5 tonne van as far as possible in 24 hours, beating the current record of 32 miles.

He hopes his efforts will raise £12,000 for Wiltshire Air Ambulance – equivalent to the daily costs of running the service.

Mr Land said doctors originally told him he was “unable to do anything physical”.

“It’s to show people that if you put in the effort, you can do anything,” he added.

Mr Land has completed a number of challenges since his near-death experience in Wiltshire in 1993, including abseiling from the Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth, although doctors initially feared he would never fully recover.

“I basically broke my pelvis, damaged my ribs on the left side, injured my shoulder and arm and had limited mobility in my neck and right leg,” he said.

“But other than that, I (just) cut my chin. I remember lying in bed and the man next to me had a cast on his neck and had fallen off a curb in the city – I just thought, ‘I’m doing really well.’ happy’.”

Instead, Mr Land concentrates his efforts at RAF Locking near Weston-Super-Mare, coincidentally the last place his father, who was in the RAF, was stationed.

An exact date for the trial has not yet been set, but it is expected to take place in August.