When Lance Corporal Sammy O’Gorman learned he was being sent to fight in Iraq, he immediately thought of the dangers of deadly roadside bombs.But it was not an improvised explosive device (IED) planted by insurgents that nearly cost the 28-year-old his life.
L/Cpl O’Gorman spent three months in intensive care and underwent 17 operations – after being bitten on the thigh by a giant spider.
Last night, he told how he was on patrol in western Basra with the Highlanders, 4th Battalion the Royal Regiment of Scotland, when the camel spider struck.
The father of two, from Inverness, said: ‘When I went to Iraq, the biggest threat was the IED. If you stepped on one of those, you felt you were going to lose a foot, a leg or your life.
‘You just did not have time to worry about spiders. I didn’t see the spider or feel the bite. It left two holes in the top of my thigh. Read More
