Sussex Royal Navy serviceman makes important appeal after freak accident

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A Chichester man, whose Royal Navy career was ended after a freak accident, has called for better mental health support for those who suffer life-changing injuries.

Elliott Courtman was rapidly progressing in his Royal Navy career having joined in 2018 aged 21, winning a place on the fast track scheme, winning best recruit twice and being promoted to leading hand within his first two years.

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However, whilst deployed on the Queen Elizabeth carrier in June 2020, Elliott suffered the trauma of losing his left eye after it was pierced by a helicopter aerial while he was lashing it to the deck. While the task was something Elliott had done many times, on this occasion the aerial was not protected by a foam cover – something that only became mandatory after Elliott’s injury – and it penetrated his eyeball.

Elliott said: “It has been the worst time. From the moment that happened, my life changed forever, but I tried to carry on as if it hadn’t.”

Elliott Courtman was rapidly progressing in his Royal Navy career having joined in 2018 aged 21, winning a place on the fast track scheme, winning best recruit twice and being promoted to leading hand within his first two years. Photo: Slater and GordonElliott Courtman was rapidly progressing in his Royal Navy career having joined in 2018 aged 21, winning a place on the fast track scheme, winning best recruit twice and being promoted to leading hand within his first two years. Photo: Slater and Gordon
Elliott Courtman was rapidly progressing in his Royal Navy career having joined in 2018 aged 21, winning a place on the fast track scheme, winning best recruit twice and being promoted to leading hand within his first two years. Photo: Slater and Gordon

Elliott, from Chichester, was forced to deal with the loss of his eye and his Navy career, after the impact his injury had on his depth perception meant he had to be medically discharged.

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He has now secured a settlement for his injury, supported by military specialists at law firm Slater and Gordon. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) admitted to breaching its duty of care following the accident.

A MOD spokesperson said: “We work hard to ensure the safety of everyone who serves. Where there is proven legal liability, compensation is paid. It would be inappropriate to comment further on an individual case.“

Having been in ‘a very bad place’ mentally after the incident, Elliott is now calling for more support from the Navy and Ministry of Defence to help people deal with such psychological trauma.

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Whilst deployed on the Queen Elizabeth carrier in June 2020, Elliott suffered the trauma of losing his left eye after it was pierced by a helicopter aerial while he was lashing it to the deck. Photo: Slater and GordonWhilst deployed on the Queen Elizabeth carrier in June 2020, Elliott suffered the trauma of losing his left eye after it was pierced by a helicopter aerial while he was lashing it to the deck. Photo: Slater and Gordon
Whilst deployed on the Queen Elizabeth carrier in June 2020, Elliott suffered the trauma of losing his left eye after it was pierced by a helicopter aerial while he was lashing it to the deck. Photo: Slater and Gordon

Elliott, who captained the RNAS Culdrose football team and represented the Royal Navy team, said he was initially only offered mental health support by downloading an app.

“I didn’t want to deal with what had happened and blocked it out completely,” he added. "I went back to work a matter of weeks afterwards, but looking back I was hardly in a fit state of mind to do that. I could have had months off if I’d wanted to, but I desperately wanted to get back to normality and to continue to progress in the career I’d worked so hard for, and there was no-one telling me I shouldn’t. In times like this, you really need someone at work looking out for you, to say ‘Take some time off, you’re not OK’, but that didn’t happen. I went to a very bad place through trying to pretend everything was alright, but really I was far from alright."

Elliott said there is a ‘culture in the Navy’ where people are expected to ‘just get on with things, crack on with your job’, adding: “That’s part of the problem. I think there needs to be recognition that we need support, particularly after something like what happened to me.

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"Young men who experience trauma probably don’t know what to do – and that’s why proper support is so important and really needs to be there.”

After the horror accident, medics did try to save Elliott’s eye by sewing it back together. He returned to work in July, wearing an eye patch while hoping he may regain some sight. But due to a serious infection that set in, he was forced to have it removed in December 2021.

Elliott said: “It was absolutely devastating. I had lost my career, I couldn’t play football. It was a dark place. Before this, I’d be one of the most confident people you would meet, but I lost all of that. I felt totally trapped.”

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The MOD said it is committed to improving the mental health of Armed Forces personnel and veterans, and in June 2022 published the Defence People Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2022-2027 which set out the Department’s vision and strategic aims for mental health and wellbeing over five years.

The MOD – working closely with the Departments of Health, the NHS, including the Devolved Administrations and Voluntary and Civil Society organisations – are ‘continually examining ways’ of developing mental health support for the Armed Forces.

The UK Government department aims to ensure that, whatever new measures are introduced, they are ‘appropriate and beneficial’ for the individual and the Armed Forces as a whole.

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