DAYS after he was attacked by an injured deer he was trying to help, an Ipswich landscape surveyor is looking forward to being released from hospital.Ian Salmon suffered serious leg injuries when he went to the aid of a wounded Muntjac deer at the side of the road on the Shotley peninsular on Tuesday.

By Jo Macdonald

DAYS after he was attacked by an injured deer he was trying to help, an Ipswich landscape surveyor is looking forward to being released from hospital.

Ian Salmon suffered serious leg injuries when he went to the aid of a wounded Muntjac deer at the side of the road on the Shotley peninsular on Tuesday.

Today the 24-year-old is on the road to recovery and the damage does not appear to be as serious as first feared.

His father, Barry, said: "He had stitches put in on Thursday, and he is having therapy to sort out the use of crutches. He should be out of hospital in two or three days.

"Fortunately there have been no complications and as far as I know there have been no infections.

"It also looks as though although he has got numbness on the side of his foot there is no really bad damage to the nerves or muscles. He is bouncing back, slowly."

Ian had been carrying out a landscape survey of the HMS Ganges site when he noticed the Muntjac deer hobbling on three legs.

He called out the RSPCA and during their attempts to catch the frightened animal, it bit him three times on the right leg. He received two three-inch lacerations and a third more serious gash of nearly four inches in depth.

He was taken to Ipswich Hospital where doctors initially feared he may have some nerve damage and require further operations.

Thankfully, this is not the case and Ian is now looking forward to getting out of hospital.

As to whether he will be going near any deer again, Mr Salmon said: "I don't think so.

"Not unless he's got a posse of RSPCA officers with him."