Australian chef paralysed in freak holiday accident in Cape Town

A crowd-funding campaign is under way to provide "extensive rehabilitation" and care for an Australian chef left paralysed in a freak accident while on holiday with his fiancée in Cape Town.

Gareth Flanagan, 21, had planned to scatter his late brother’s ashes during his stay in South Africa.

But during a stopover in the coastal town of Kleinmond with his fiancée, Leisha Galluccio, 21, he dived into a river and struck his head on April 25.

"Gareth decided to dive in only a metre to the right of where he had just been in the water and I knew the moment he hit water that something wasn't right," Galluccio told nine.com.au from South Africa, in an article published on Friday.

"All I saw was blood gushing down from his head."

After being dragged from the water, the chef told his father that he could not feel his legs.

He was admitted to Mediclinic Vergelegen, where it was confirmed that he had broken his neck. The family was told there was scant chance he would walk again.

"I love you so much Gary," Galluccio said in a post on Facebook, accompanied by a photograph of her fiancé holding her ginger cat, Archie, three days after the accident.

Family and friends have embarked on a crowd-funding initiative via GoFundMe to cover the cost of what could be an arduous journey of rehabilitation once Flanagan returns home to Australia.

"Gareth is currently paralysed from the waist down. He has broken his neck, and has blood bruising and swelling on his spine. He is on a ventilator due to a newly found lung infection and will require some rehab before even considering the trip back to Australia," said a post on the GoFundMe page.

"When coming home, Gareth will require extensive rehabilitation. Both he and Leisha are currently unable to work, and their house will require a lot of modifications so that Leisha and Gareth can live comfortably in their own home."

The page had raised $11,760 before 10am on Friday.

Explaining how the accident happened, the GoFundMe page said: "They were swimming in a river in Kleinmond, South Africa, when Gareth dived into the water which, unbeknown to him, was extremely shallow. Within minutes he had hit his head and swam to the surface screaming for help.

"Bystanders including his family and fiancée Leisha expected his injuries to be minimal as all that was visible was a head laceration.

"After being dragged from the water, Gareth told his dad he was unable to feel his legs, which is when panic mode kicked in.

"It took over an hour for emergency services to arrive, and in that time Gareth started going into shock. His family and a nearby neighbour did everything they could to keep him comfortable."