Man broke his leg after tripping on vacuum cleaner when partner asked him to help housework ‘for first time’

A man broke two bones in his leg after tripping over the vacuum cleaner and falling the down the stairs - when his partner asked him to help ‘for the first time’ with the housework.

Bethan Lewis Watling, 24, found her partner, Nathan Marsh, 26, at the bottom of the stairs after he took a tumble while ‘reluctantly’ vacuuming upstairs - and when the paramedics couldn’t get him out of the house in a wheelchair the fire brigade had to be called.

The college student didn’t believe he was really injured and thought he was trying to ‘get out of the cleaning’ when she heard his calls for help.

Bethan quickly realised Nathan was in a lot of pain and unable to walk on his right leg - so she called for an ambulance.

The fire brigade nearly took the couple’s window off to get him out, but managed to carry Nathan out of the front door strapped to a board.

When they finally arrived at the Royal Glamorgan Hospital, Wales, an x-ray revealed Nathan had broken two bones in his leg - the tibia and fibula.

After the incident in August Nathan spent four weeks on full bed rest and a total of six weeks in a cast before having it removed and Bethan’s video of the accident on TikTok racked up a staggered 1.3 million views.

Nathan recovered and is now on ‘light dusting’ duties

He is finally back on his feet and Bethan has got him cleaning again - but this time only trusting him with light dusting duties.

Bethan, from Rhondda, Wales, said: “At first I didn’t believe him - I thought he was pulling a fast one.

“Looking back, it’s quite hilarious really.

“I even warned him about being careful around the vacuum cord in case he tripped.

“He’s completely recovered now and doing fine.

“It hasn’t got him out of doing the housework though.”

Bethan and Nathan, who isn’t currently working, have lived together for the last two years.

According to Bethan, who studies barbering at Bridgend College, Wales, Nathan has never been a fan of housework and tries to avoid doing chores.

On this occasion, Bethan convinced him to help with the vacuuming for the ‘first time’.

‘I heard a massive crash and thought he’d fallen through the ceiling’

He started at the top of the stairs but didn’t get very far when he tripped and fell.

Bethan said Nathan had a “bit of a moan” about vacuuming but manged to do some.

She added: “Then I heard a massive crash and thought he’d fallen through the ceiling.”

Bethan found her fiancé “in a pile” at the bottom of the stairs after calling her for help, Nathan was “tangled” in the vacuum cord and couldn’t walk.

She helped him to the sofa - unconvinced he was really injured.

However, Bethan quickly realised he was in a lot of pain and unable to walk on his right leg.

She called an ambulance and two arrived - including a rapid response team.

Bethan continues: “At first, I thought he was just trying to get out of more cleaning.

“But he was clearly in a lot of pain, so we knew he’d really hurt himself.

“We had so many paramedics in the house and nosey neighbours watching.

“It was quite funny.”

‘They nearly took the window off’

The paramedics wanted to take Nathan into hospital, but couldn’t maneuverer the wheelchair around the narrow corridor.

They had no choice but to call the fire brigade to try and help get him out of the house.

“They nearly took the window off,” Bethan said.

“But they managed to get him out but strapped him to a board and going through the front door.”

Clumsy Nathan was sent for an x-ray which revealed he had a broke two bones in his lower right leg - the tibia and fibula.

He was ordered on bed rest for four weeks and was in a leg cast for a total of six weeks.

Bethan said: “He got to avoid housework for a while on bed rest.

“He’s good at washing the dishes so he main sticks to that now.

“I do still try and get him to do a bit of cleaning but definitely nothing upstairs.”

Nathan, who is now fully recovered and back on his feet after the accident, said: “It was very painful at the time.

“The bed rest was amazing and it’s nice being back on the feet.

“It was amusing to have the street full of emergency vehicles.

“But I’m thankful for everything they have done and they handled the situation amazingly.

“Bethan had a list ready for me when I had to the all-clear!”

A message from the editor:

Thank you for reading. NationalWorld is a new national news brand, produced by a team of journalists, editors, video producers and designers who live and work across the UK. Find out more about who’s who in the team, and our editorial values. We want to start a community among our readers, so please follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and keep the conversation going. You can also sign up to our email newsletters and get a curated selection of our best reads to your inbox every day.