The Car Accident
I'll dive right in...
I was working in York at a nightclub, and as all those who work in bars will know nobody gets out of Christmas shifts.
My family live Cumbria and I have young brothers and sisters, so Christmas is still really big in my house. I was working on Christmas Eve but I desperately wanted to be home for morning to see the children open their presents.
My shift finished at about half two and I jumped straight in the car to drive the two and half hour drive to Cumbria.
The drive was fine, I felt awake and I was excited to get home.
Now, I will admit I was speeding. I was close to home, the roads were quiet and I wanted to get back. For the second time that night a rabbit appeared in front of the car, and unfortunately that was all it took. I can't remember the actual impact, but I remember losing control of the car. I briefly woke up in the car and tried to open the door and then I must have passed out again.
The next thing I remember was hours later. I opened my eyes to a very bright, white room to my brother holding my hand. He and my Dad were in hospital with me. From this point till after New Years everything is pretty much a blur.
I've been told that I was found by a passer by who called an ambulance and I was then taken to the Cumberland Infirmary in Carlisle. The police went to my parents house about 7am, and told them about the accident. The hospital told my parents that I had suffered only cuts and bruises and I would be home for Christmas dinner. I was not.
For whatever reason, they decided to give me scan (a CT scan I think), and they discovered that I had broken my back. They then sent me over to Newcastle RVI hospital who deal with more serious cases than Carlisle.
After arriving there and being properly assessed it turned out that I had not only broken my back in two places, but I had also shattered my C1 bone (also called the 'Atlas Bone' which connects your skull to your spine), both my lungs had collapsed, I'd fractured my skull which led to a moderate brain injury and then as a little extra treat, my ear had pretty much fallen off.
The neck injury was the most serious problem. The doctors were shocked that I had survived the accident with such a severe injury to the C1. I should have either died instantly or been paralysed. They kept me in a hard neck brace for a couple of days till they decided that the best solution would be to fit me with a halo brace. It's a brace that is attached to you skull and covers your body. The fitting of the brace was pretty traumatic, but I'll do a separate post on that.
I was moved from the ICU to the Neurology ward, where I stayed till the end of January. I was bed bound for most of the stay, and most of the months that followed.
The brain injury caused a lot of problems from the outset, but that's something for another post.
Once I was home I had to wear the brace till May, with frequent trips back to Newcastle to get the screwes tightened on the halo and for lots of scans.
Unfortunately the story does not end when the halo came off.
There's a lot that I want to talk about:
The depression, anxiety and PTSD that I developed and still deal with
The brain damage and how it's changed the way I have to live my life
How everything has affected my relationships with those around me
How I managed to bring some normalcy back to my life
and even the more grisly stuff...
The actual fitting and removal of the halo, what life was like with it on and more to do with the car crash.
Quick disclaimer though, this is my experience, nobody else's. The medical stuff might not always be 100% accurate as I'm just going from memory. It's also important to remember that everybody will have different experiences, so the way I deal with things might not work for everyone.
I hope this finds its way to whose who might need it x
I was working in York at a nightclub, and as all those who work in bars will know nobody gets out of Christmas shifts.
My family live Cumbria and I have young brothers and sisters, so Christmas is still really big in my house. I was working on Christmas Eve but I desperately wanted to be home for morning to see the children open their presents.
My shift finished at about half two and I jumped straight in the car to drive the two and half hour drive to Cumbria.
The drive was fine, I felt awake and I was excited to get home.
Now, I will admit I was speeding. I was close to home, the roads were quiet and I wanted to get back. For the second time that night a rabbit appeared in front of the car, and unfortunately that was all it took. I can't remember the actual impact, but I remember losing control of the car. I briefly woke up in the car and tried to open the door and then I must have passed out again.
The next thing I remember was hours later. I opened my eyes to a very bright, white room to my brother holding my hand. He and my Dad were in hospital with me. From this point till after New Years everything is pretty much a blur.
I've been told that I was found by a passer by who called an ambulance and I was then taken to the Cumberland Infirmary in Carlisle. The police went to my parents house about 7am, and told them about the accident. The hospital told my parents that I had suffered only cuts and bruises and I would be home for Christmas dinner. I was not.
For whatever reason, they decided to give me scan (a CT scan I think), and they discovered that I had broken my back. They then sent me over to Newcastle RVI hospital who deal with more serious cases than Carlisle.
After arriving there and being properly assessed it turned out that I had not only broken my back in two places, but I had also shattered my C1 bone (also called the 'Atlas Bone' which connects your skull to your spine), both my lungs had collapsed, I'd fractured my skull which led to a moderate brain injury and then as a little extra treat, my ear had pretty much fallen off.
The neck injury was the most serious problem. The doctors were shocked that I had survived the accident with such a severe injury to the C1. I should have either died instantly or been paralysed. They kept me in a hard neck brace for a couple of days till they decided that the best solution would be to fit me with a halo brace. It's a brace that is attached to you skull and covers your body. The fitting of the brace was pretty traumatic, but I'll do a separate post on that.
I was moved from the ICU to the Neurology ward, where I stayed till the end of January. I was bed bound for most of the stay, and most of the months that followed.
The brain injury caused a lot of problems from the outset, but that's something for another post.
Once I was home I had to wear the brace till May, with frequent trips back to Newcastle to get the screwes tightened on the halo and for lots of scans.
Unfortunately the story does not end when the halo came off.
There's a lot that I want to talk about:
The depression, anxiety and PTSD that I developed and still deal with
The brain damage and how it's changed the way I have to live my life
How everything has affected my relationships with those around me
How I managed to bring some normalcy back to my life
and even the more grisly stuff...
The actual fitting and removal of the halo, what life was like with it on and more to do with the car crash.
Quick disclaimer though, this is my experience, nobody else's. The medical stuff might not always be 100% accurate as I'm just going from memory. It's also important to remember that everybody will have different experiences, so the way I deal with things might not work for everyone.
I hope this finds its way to whose who might need it x
The way you have sustained the injuries is really surprising. Let us know if our Colorado Injury Attorneys can help victims like you residing in Denver, Colorado.
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