“You feel superhuman”

• Former Queensland and Broncos winger suffered leg bruises in accident
• Walker eventually began using performance-enhancing drugs to aid recovery.
• Says steroids helped in his recovery and saved his life

Former NRL star Chris Walker has revealed how he recovered from being crushed by a shipping container when his legs were thrown – and how steroids helped him get his old life back.

The former Queensland Broncos, Roosters and Titans winger escaped death when a 700kg cargo container fell on his legs in far north Queensland in December 2021.

The father of three children was trapped under the steel plate and would probably have been only a few minutes away from death if he had been rescued.

“I can’t explain what it feels like to have a shipping container fall on you,” Walker, 44, told News Corp.

“I had walked 2.5 million steps and then found myself in a wheelchair, unable to walk.

“Like any big event, it happens so quickly. I just remember the force of the container hitting me and it felt like I was being crushed by a whole group of 100kg front rowers.

“I felt so helpless. My legs were crushed. I couldn’t do anything.”

“So many emotions were going through my head at that moment.

“Please don’t lose my legs.”

“Please let me play with my children again.”

“Please, please. Don’t die.”

It took workers about three minutes to rescue the machine, which had only been attempted once, but his injuries were horrific.

“At some point, I was considering having my left leg amputated due to the serious injury,” says Walker.

“My left leg was completely ruined. My left kneecap was broken, the meniscus in my left knee was torn, the anterior cruciate ligament was torn and I also had an open fracture so the bone was sticking out of my left leg.

“I also broke the tibia in my right leg, so both legs were broken.”

“I had two rods in both legs. In the 18 months after the accident, I had five operations. I always had the feeling that my leg might become infected or that I might get gangrene.”

The former football star was out of action for many months and had to see a psychologist because of the mental anguish he had endured – at one point he even considered suicide.

Walker was always against taking performance-enhancing drugs, but found that they helped him in his recovery.

“When my buddy told me there were certain things I could endure, no joke, I wanted to punch him in the face,” Walker admitted.

“I walked around like an 80-year-old man.

“We worked out together at the gym and three or four days later I was still in pain. Just doing everyday activities was excruciating.”

“My buddy said, ‘I want you to keep an open mind on this, but there are things out there that can help people who have experienced trauma in their lives return to some sort of normalcy.’

“He said, ‘There’s testosterone, human growth hormone, peptides… things that can restore your health if used properly.’

Walker eventually agreed to try the performance-enhancing drugs and has no regrets, insisting that the treatment he underwent “saved his life.”

“You feel superhuman,” he said.

“If I had taken that stuff when I played for the Broncos, I would have made 100 attempts a season.”

“Now I understand why the temptation to cheat is so great at the Olympics and in every other professional sport.”

“The guys who have cheated other natural men by taking performance enhancing drugs are a disgrace.”

“My recovery was incredible. I could do a strength training session in the morning, then go back in the afternoon, then go back for dinner and not wake up in pain.

“The strength and regeneration are incredible. In a professional sports context, this is actually completely unfair.”

“There will be some people who read this and judge me, but this is my story and I wanted to be honest about it.”

Walker followed his doctor’s instructions during his recovery and has since stopped taking performance-enhancing drugs.

The fact that he is now in top form is proven by his training videos on Instagram, in which he looks as if he could still run out and play in the first league.

Walker now runs a thriving vodka business and is very happy to be able to enjoy life to the fullest.

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