Ellie Dunn was completing her civil traineeship for Protech when she was severely injured in a motor vehicle accident while traveling between sites for Protech’s civil construction client. She received multiple injuries resulting in a high amputation of her left leg.
She spent months in hospital where she received intensive rehabilitation, including psychological support. After the accident Ellie:
- relocated to a home that could accommodate her wheelchair
- was involved in ongoing prosthesis trials and training
- retrained her brain to learn to walk again
- continues to attend psychological, exercise and physical therapy.
Protech kept in touch with Ellie throughout her rehabilitation and played a critical role in her return to work. Protech acknowledged that Ellie would not be able to continue in her previous role so approached their client, RoadTek, who were able to offer Ellie a position as Project Management Support Officer.
Ellie was committed to getting back to work and was proactive in expanding her skills to meet the needs of the new job, completing a course in Microsoft Word and Excel.
Ellie has worked extensively with her psychological and rehabilitation teams to come to terms with the changes in her life. The supportive partnership between Protech and RoadTek ensures that Ellie is well supported as she continues to increase her work hours and progress her formal and on the job training.
Ellie’s resilience, positive attitude and dedicated return to work plan have been the biggest contributing factors to facing the challenges she is determined to overcome.
