Man whose life changed after 'catastrophic' car crash explains why knight outfit was key to recovery

A father-of-two who was left with traumatic brain injuries has explained how a love for Robin Hood helped inspire an outfit choice which was key to his recovery.

Chase Bolling, 39, had always been 'obsessed' with knights but only recently branched out into wearing armour on a daily basis, something which has helped to rebuild his strength and confidence following a catastrophic car crash.

The care worker from Connecticut had his life changed in 2019 when he another driver hit his car, which forced him into a pole, with his head 'smashed' into a windscreen.

This left Chase with a traumatic brain injury, as well as severe nerve damage, and he understandably developed agoraphobia during a long and arduous recovery process.

He said: “I suffered severe damage, which affected the part of my brain that regulates body temperature.

“Before the accident, I worked as a machinist in a high-tech company, but I lost quite a few IQ points.

“I have significant nerve damage in my neck, across my shoulders, and down my right arm.

“It’s a traumatic brain injury, and I struggle with memory – I can’t always recognise people I haven’t seen in a long time.”

Wearing the chain mail helped him immeasurably (PA)

However, Chase's affection for fantasy was central to his recovery, as he'd already been practising with a sword since high school after falling in love with fencing, and after 17 weeks of physiotherapy he tried on some of his old chain mail.

He said: "The crash affected my confidence – you don’t normally leave the house expecting a routine trip to end in catastrophic, life-changing injuries.

“Wearing armour makes you much harder to hurt.

“My whole life I’d been this big defensive lineman (in American football) and thought I was invincible. I learned in a very dramatic way that no-one is.

“But wearing armour has really helped me feel stronger and more confident – it helped me with my strength and identity.

“To me, knighthood is about showing respect and protecting those around you, like a shield, and I think everyone should be more like a knight.”

He now shares his content with thousands of followers online (PA)

It turns out that wearing the outfit was crucial in re-building both his strength and confidence, and he now shares his outside experiences with over 40,000 followers on social media.

“The outfit honestly helped my recovery – I was walking around carrying an extra 40lbs, especially with the shoulder plates and chain mail,” Chase explained.

“It helped me rebuild my core strength.

“I was honestly an agoraphobic, I was hardly leaving the house, but the mother of my children really helped me recover too."

Speaking about his journey into becoming a content creator, he added: “I create content that sometimes highlights black presence in the European Middle Ages, while educating people about historical martial arts and honour.

“I get a lot of trolls – some very upset, triggered racists – but the other half of the comments are really positive. Almost every day, someone says I’ve inspired them.”