Swindon bungee accident survivor attempting world record pull

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

Mike Land, from Swindon, is aiming 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 to raise £12,000 for Wiltshire Air Ambulance with his efforts – equivalent to the daily cost of running the service.

Mr Land said doctors initially told him he was “not going to be able to do anything physically”.

“It’s meant to show people that if you push yourself, you can do anything,” he added.

Mr Land has taken on a series of challenges since his near-death experience in Wiltshire in 1993, including abseiling down Portsmouth’s Spinnaker Tower, despite doctors initially fearing he would never fully recover.

“I basically fractured my pelvis, damaged my ribs on the left side, injured my shoulder and arm and lost movement in my neck and right leg,” he said.

“But other than that, I (only) cut my chin. I remember when I was lying in bed and the guy next to me was in a cast and he’d fallen off a curb in the city – I just thought, ‘I’m very lucky’.”

Instead, Mr Land is refocusing his efforts on 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 likely to take place in August.