Man who survived horror crash had life changing moment in hospital bed

Kenny Eaton said he woke up 200m away from his car after a he smashed through a roundabout at the end of the M57

A reformed drug user who survived a horrific car crash on the M57 has gone viral on social media after turning his life around. Kenny Eaton, from Kensington, said he is “13 months clean” after a long battle with alcohol and cocaine.

The 51-year-old posted a photo of himself on the top of Scafell Pike after conquering the 978 metre hike. He posted the photo to Facebook alongside the caption: “Hello, I’m Kenny from Liverpool and something to know about me is I’ve discovered that hiking and climbing is better than any drink and drug.

“That’s why I’m 13 months clean. Everywhere I go I travel by bus, train, coach, so anyone thinking they cannot get out to these mountains can and should.”

The post has been liked over 30,000 times. Kenny told the ECHO: “I don’t understand why it just blew up when I put that post on Facebook. I just feel so humbled with all the people I’ve had messaging me. People from my childhood have been messaging me. It’s just mad.”

Kenny said he was 14 when he tried drugs for the first time, a decision that led him to a downward spiral of abuse that saw him hooked on cocaine without realising he was addicted.

Kenny, who was working as a chef at the time, said: “I didn’t think anything of it at the time, but every day I’d be drinking and doing cocaine. Just cracking on because when you’re in a kitchen it’s hard work.”

The 51-year-old, who was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) last year, said: “I was taking it to stop my thoughts. It puts you into a hole and then you wake up the next day and you do it all over again.”

Due to circumstances outside his control, Kenny said he ended up homeless. He described one of the lowest points of his life when he suffered a horrific car crash which almost killed him. He added: “Everything came to a crunch one night.

“I smashed right through the roundabout at the end of the M57. The car had gone over a few times and I’d come out the car. I was found 200m away. I don’t know how I survived it, I should have died.”

Kenny was taken to Whiston Hospital where he was told he had a bleed on the brain and broken ribs. A few months later, he was transferred to to a mental health clinic at Broadgreen Hospital.

He said: “When I got to hospital my main focus was just getting better and doing everything they asked me to do. I wanted to get better for my daughter because I didn’t want to let her down. My daughter is my rock. She’s the reason I’m still going.”

One of the nights when Kenny couldn’t sleep, he came across a TikTok video of a man who had climbed Ben Nevis and set up camp. He said: “As soon as I saw that, I couldn’t get it out my head.

“I thought, ‘when I get out of hospital I’m going to get a little bit fit and the first thing I’m going to do is climb Ben Nevis’. And that’s what I did.”

After Kenny was discharged three months later, he was transferred to Nightingale House – a care facility in Bootle providing care for those suffering from mental health issues.

He said: “I put my head down as soon as I got here. I can’t thank the staff enough. Every single one of them is amazing. They got me into the gym over the road. Another lad who lives here goes the gym with me.”

Kenny bought hiking boots off TikTok shop and a tent off eBay totalling £26. He added: “I just about had enough money left to get there [Ben Nevis] and back by train and bus. The staff at Nightingale House were phoning me every morning and night to check I was okay.”

Since discovering the world of hiking, Kenny said he is learning what it means to be “at peace”. He said: “There’s no noise. With ADHD, when people are having different conversations, I can’t focus on one conversation because I’m just hearing them all at the same time.

“When I’m on the mountains, I haven’t got all that in my head. There’s just peace. It’s like I’m in heaven. I’ve got no noise, there’s nothing going on. I can do my own thing. I’m happy getting out in the fresh air. It makes me realise why I’m still here.”