Ernie Mpundu: Sheffield police officer in critical care in hospital after freak injury

Ernie Mpundu broke his femur stepping off a box at a gym last week and needed major surgery on Saturday, the day before he turned 48, because it was such a bad break. While in surgery, both of his kidneys failed and he had to go in critical care on dialysis. He remains in critical care at Doncaster Royal Infirmary.

Jane Pettit manages CrossFit Rotherham, where Ernie is a longstanding member, though it was at another gym where he broke his leg in what she called a ‘freak’ injury which she said could have happened simply stepping off a kerb. Jane told The Star how his partner Lizzie, with whom he has a three-year-old son, is having to travel over from Sheffield, where they live together, to visit him each day in hospital.

Jane wanted to help so she launched a fundraising appeal for Ernie, whom she described as a ‘gorgeous human being’, and more than £900 has already been donated. “He’s still in critical care, though he says he’s one of the minor patients in critical care, and thankfully the doctors are saying he should make a full recovery,” she said.

"He’s a really nice fellow, who’s always smiling, and whatever you ask for he will see if he can do it. With them having a young lad and Lizzie having to travel over to the hospital from Sheffield each day, we just wanted to raise a bit of money to give them something to look forward to and make things a bit easier for them.”

Ernie spent 14 years serving as a PCSO in Rotherham before becoming a PC in 2019. He is also a talented sportsman, having beaten players from across Europe to be crowned Police Indoor Sports Table Tennis Champion in 2017.

To donate to the fundraising appeal on GoFundMe, visit: https://www.gofundme.com/f/making-it-better-for-ernie.