[amputee]
[the true story]
Amputee - a short film telling a true story.
Lisa Ramos was hit by a forklift truck in 2006. Her leg was mangled and crushed to such an extent that it had to be removed.
The mental anguish of coming to terms with this changed her personality beyond recognition and tore her from her role as a parent.
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Lisa’s husband, Dave, worked alongside her at the warehouse where the accident occurred. The trauma of seeing his wife so badly injured left him unable to return to work. Instead, his time became consumed with her care. Their son, Kieran, was 13 years old at the time. During this vital juncture in his development, he effectively lost the support and guidance of both parents. Lisa never truly returned as the mother he knew.
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It is only now that she and her husband are beginning to heal and see how their life could be. Lisa’s son has yet to come to terms with what happened and its effect on him. It continues to adversely impact his behaviour and life choices to this day.
In recent years, Lisa and Dave have fought to raise awareness about workers’ right to be safe. They speak at companies and conferences around the world, passionately sharing their story in an effort to prevent accidents like Lisa’s from ever happening again.
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Telling Lisa’s story was possible thanks to investment from A-SAFE.
The Hidden Cost Campaign
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The Amputee film and Lisa’s story have inspired a whole campaign to improve safety in industrial workplaces. The Hidden Cost campaign aims to put a spotlight on the hidden costs of accidents in industrial facilities, giving a voice to the people and families behind the statistics.
As part of this campaign, a large national YouGov survey was commissioned by A-SAFE to investigate the problem. With 2,019 respondents from manual and semi-manual jobs, the survey revealed some alarming truths about workers’ experiences of safety in industrial environments. The results, along with resources on how to address this growing problem, are available for free from the Hidden Cost campaign website.
[the hidden cost]
Family Impact
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Lisa and her family were consulted frequently throughout the making of Amputee. Writer and Director, Jamie Rhodes, interviewed Lisa and her family extensively. He attended Lisa’s talks at industrial facilities and spent time at home with her and Dave. Lisa documented the accident and her early years of recovery with photos and diaries, all of which she contributed to Jamie’s research.
Watch Jamie’s interview with Lisa’s mother, father, stepmother and stepfather. This was shot immediately after they had seen Lisa and Dave speak at an industrial facility for the first time. The group recall their memories of Lisa’s accident, her recovery, and how it changed their lives.
[the film]
[the cast]