A DAD who “feels lucky to be alive” after a horror crash has returned home to his children and partner following two weeks in hospital and multiple surgeries.

Ross Verner, from Basildon, veered off the road and crashed into a ditch after losing consciousness behind the wheel as he travelled home from Brighton after work.

The 26-year-old was left in a coma for two days after the crash last month and underwent multiple surgeries at Brighton Hospital.

Now, he has returned to partner Monica Murphy and their children Marvel-Lee, two, and Psalm-XCI, 11 months.

He is facing a long road to recovery still and is likely to be unable to return to work for months after suffering multiple fractures, a split bowel and internal bleeding.

Ross said: “I do feel lucky to be alive.

“I feel happy to be able to perform this recovery at home with my loved ones, but I was so bad that I am not able to pick my kids up, I can see them but it is very hard.

“It is good to see their faces and be with my partner, I am doing the same recovery I would be doing there but here.”

Ross added: “It is a bit of a struggle, to get used to life given the circumstances but pretty much as I was in hospital, so long as things are the same, I can’t walk for too long and it hurts my back.

“I am more or less bed-bound.”

Ross works as a self-employed sealant applicator and fears he won’t be able to work for another three months.

He said: “This is a present worry, I won’t be back until February and that is looking forward, that could all change depending on the healing.

“I would like to say thanks for the donations we have had and some of the comments, it has been a help.”

The exact cause of Ross’ medical episode remains unclear, with him saying that he passed out at the wheel of the car “randomly”.