As David was rehearsing a flying scene - a stunt which is recognised as one of the most dangerous in the business - he was flung into the wall, breaking his neck.
And although this horrific news would leave anyone reeling, David has now spoken out about how his first thought was not for his own well being, and that he didn't want to ring his parents in case he worried them.
'My first thought was: "Don't ring Mum and Dad, I don't want to worry them,"' said David, who was 25 at the time of the accident.
It was January 2009 when, whilst preparing to film the scene at the Warner Brothers Studio in Hertfordshire, David slammed in to the wall after he was pulled backwards at speed by a high strength wire.
This 'jerk-back' is meant to imitate the effects of an explosion.
'I hit the wall and then landed on the crash mat underneath. My stunt co-ordinator grabbed my hand and said, 'Squeeze my fingers.' I could move my arm to grab his hand but I couldn't squeeze his fingers.'
'I looked into his eyes and that's when I realised what happened was major.'
'I looked into his eyes and that's when I realised what happened was major.'
'I remember slipping in and out of consciousness because of the pain levels. I'd broken a bone before, so recognising that weird feeling across my whole body form my fingertips right down to my toes, I knew I had really done some damage.'
David was rushed to hospital where he was told he would be paralysed from the chest down, with only limited movement in his arms and hands.
And according to David, now 30, he said his first thoughts were not about walking, but about not being able to dance or have sex.
Talking of his devastation, David said: 'I have gone from being able to stand on my hands for half an hour at a time and then all of a sudden I can't sit up in bed.'
Daniel Radcliffe and Tom Felton (who player Draco Malfoy) visited David in hospital, with Daniel organising fundraising event to help pay for David's medical bills. The actor refers to Davis as an 'incredibly important person in my life.'
David appeared as Daniel's stunt double from the first film in 2001 until the accident in 2009.
And despite being realistic about the nature of his injury, David says that having a positive mental attitude is incredibly important.
'There was definitely a sense of tragedy for me, but also a sense of sheer determination to beat it and better it.'
David is now raising money to help buy the Royal National Orthopedic Hospital, where he spent his recovery, new equipment and facilities. Click here to donate.