A JOCKEY who was declared dead for six seconds after suffering horrific injuries while racing is set to pay tribute to some of the health professionals who enabled him to make one of the greatest comebacks in sport.

Brian Toomey, who stepped down from the saddle earlier this month after being brought down in his final ride, will be a keynote speaker at the College of Occupational Therapists’ 40th Annual Conference in Harrogate tomorrow.

The 27-year-old was given a three per cent chance of survival after suffering severe injuries in a fall at Perth in 2013, while attached to trainer Kevin Ryan’s stables at Hambleton, near Thirsk.

The former Saltburn resident, who spent weeks in an induced coma and 157 days in hospital following the fall, will tell the conference how occupational therapy helped him battle severe memory loss throughout his recovery, as well as overcome daily difficulties caused by complex head injuries.

He will also be reunited with his occupational therapists, Susannah Giles and Rachel Charles, a year after fulfilling British Horseracing Authority criteria to enable his return to competitive racing, which saw him riding for a Middleham stables.

Mr Toomey, who is hoping to secure a job in the racing industry, said occupational therapy helped him regain his balance and strength as well as reintroduce structure and routine into his daily life.

He added: “Being a jockey was all I wanted to do and the occupational therapists helped me reignite that passion and save my career.

“I hadn’t a clue what occupational therapists did before the accident but they really helped me, there were core to my recovery.

“I’m lucky to be here, people thought I could never get back.

“I had to prove it to myself, and having a goal helped my recovery. From the day I got back walking and talking I was determined to come back.

“I think I proved a lot of people wrong by getting back but unfortunately I didn’t achieve my final goal, but I’ve gotten over that now and I am looking at the bigger picture - it’s not as important as I thought.”

Ms Giles said her main aim had been to prevent Mr Toomey from losing his motivation to achieve his goals.

She said: “We wanted to engage him in activities that prevented him from losing that drive to get back into work.

“Occupational therapy focuses on the activities or occupations that matter most to people and for many like Brian that’s getting back to work which gives people a sense of purpose as well as providing an income, physical and social benefits.”