THE daughter of a York man who miraculously survived a terrifying aerial platform lift accident has helped raise £200 for charity.

Ten-year-old Maddie Cook and her classmates at Bootham School, in York, have raised the cash for head injuries charity Headway after staging a "readathon".

Maddie's dad Chris, 43, and another man, Karl Thackrah, were left fighting for their lives in August last year, after being catapulted from a cherrypicker on to the street below. Chris suffered serious head injuries in the incident.

Now Chris and his wife, Julie, have become involved with the charity and are proud of the children's efforts.

Chris said: "The accident has changed my whole life and my way of thinking. They say it is going to be two years before I am back up to full speed and fully recovered, so if we can help Headway in any way to help raise money, we will.

"If we can help just one person who has been in my position and give them some help and support, then that can only be a good thing."

After the accident, Chris told The Press the story of his incredible recovery. He spent three weeks in a coma, before waking up with no memory of his month-old baby son, Finlay.

Chris's injuries were so serious that doctors were on the verge of turning off his life support, and Julie had to tell their daughters, Maddie and Isobel, that their dad might not be coming home.

But Chris confounded the experts and - three months after the accident - was back with his loving family, getting to know baby Finlay.

Chris fell head-first on to Bootham, York, after the cherrypicker was apparently struck by a lorry last August.

Headway has now been adopted as one of Bootham School's charities.

Junior school head teacher Sue Ratcliffe said: "Maddie has been very brave and positive throughout the whole ordeal and we are all so pleased that her father has made such a good recovery."

Ann Hurley, of Headway, said the charity, which offers help, support and advice to people with head injuries, had recently re-formed in York.

She said: "There's not a rehab unit in York so anybody who requires rehab either doesn't get it off the PCT (Primary Care Trust) has to pay for out-of-area treatment, but that's a long way from home.

"We have been campaigning for some time for York to have its own rehab unit."

The charity's next fundraiser is a games night on February 26 at the city's Priory Street Centre.

There will also be an official launch of the charity on April 1 at 4pm in the centre.