VERY near fatal crash

[Mike C]

right, well, short story:

 

When I was still at school (my last year), a lad who I had known for years pretty much overnight became one of my best mates thru a shared love of cars. He hadnt yet passed his test, but had a Peugeot 309 which he had already done quite a bit to and planned to do a shitload more. Anyway, he was always on the Peugeot GTi Autosport Club forum at school and that made me look for a forum, and it took me a while, but eventually I found this place and the rest is history. So anyway, I have him to thank in many ways for being here.

 

Anyway, when he passed his test, we used to go off all over the place instead of going to lessons, usually to Maccy D's or scrapyards, lol

 

He drove like a nutter to be fair, nearly had a head on with a truck overtaking once on our way to uni

 

Anyway, hadnt seen or spoke to him for ages, then front page of the local paper about a month back now, my dad asked me what this lad's last name was, anyway, on the front of the paper it said his brother was critically injured in a car accident. My dad asked 'cos he knew my mate was a top table tennis player (he's in the top 20 in the UK) and knew he lived in a village just down the road from us. Anyway, his younger brother his ranked even higher than him, they reckon he was gonna be British, maybe even world number 1 and he is only 17.

 

Anyway, only just spoke to my mate tonight about it. I tried phoning him, but he's changed his number recently and been round to his house, but he's been at the hospital pretty much constantly

 

Turns out, he lost control of his car less than 2 mins away from his house, and ended up rolling it into a tree on the other side of the road. Witnesses say he wasn't speeding or anything and said it was hard to tell what actually happened, but anyway, he ended up having to be taken all the way to the QE hospital in Birmingham. He was clinically dead, his heart had stopped. He was in an induced coma for a week and something about brain pressure being dangerously high or something, and then he caught a chest infection causing temperature to rise dramatically, which caused brain pressure to rise even more. They said it was the hardest whack to the head they'd seen. It has cracked his skull and he now has all sorts of plates and screws in his head and a neck brace. He cannot talk altho he is now mouthing words. He keeps coughing up phlegm and keeps getting things stuck in his windpipe.

 

He has also had various drains fitted and there is a permanent one from his head to his stomach.

 

He finally came out of his own coma at the weekend. They predicted he would be in it for months

 

He has no idea of anything that happened now and doesnt know what all of the fuss is about

 

Anyway, speaking to my mate tonight, he says he know it sounds gay, but it's really changed his life. Brought him close to his mum and other younger brother who he really didnt get on with before. Stopped him from wanting to leave the country. Also says he now believes in God and guardian angels, something he would have ripped the p155 out of before, but there were 2 nurses in the car following him and also a doctor in a car behind too. Then when the ambulance showed up, the driver was the lad's godfather. Does seem a bit too much of a coincidence. Bit like years ago, my mum tried to OD and when we found her, a paramedic was walking right past the road at the front of her flat

 

Also says he only drives slowly and sensibly now, and whilst he used to drive everywhere, he drives as little as possible now. So it's hit home hard

 

anyway, it's a miracle he survived all that and there's no sign of actual brain damage now, but here's the pics:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

the seat belt bolt hit him smack on the head as u can see in this pic

 

he'd only just passed his test

 

His other younger brother who was in the passenger seat escaped without injury

Edited April 4, 2006 by Mike C

[Leadfoot]

That looks horrific, seeing pictures like that makes me wonder whether I even want to drive and it certainly coaxes me into keeping my speed down.

[JIMBO]

Thats horrific, glad he came through,though Mike.

[Lee_2f2f]

Glad he pulled through, makes me feel all the more nervous about being on the road, you dont know what your car can do...

[Jackster]

Are they going to check the car over to see what went wrong?

 

Glad he pulled through, looks nasty, very nasty indeed.

[Kirsty]

Shite

that stuff about the nurses being behind and that is freaky

 

some could interpret it as the devils work and that the devils stronger than god and the only thing god can do is wait for it to happen but do his best once it has

 

either way he was f'kin lucky

 

i used to have so much bad luck with driving with people almost pulling out in front of me constantly and stuff that i didnt wanna drive anymore now i wear my grandads saint christopher (patron saint of travellers) necklace which my nan gave my dad when my grandad died when i was a baby. and i never take it off. touch wood ive only had one near miss since ive been wearing it and that was the incident with the roundabout that i told a few of you about at the fast show. ive only got about 3 months till im due to write another car off so im just hoping that maybe its gonna protect me in some way

[Mike C]

Are they going to check the car over to see what went wrong?

 

there's no sign that anything failed

 

his brother said the clock was reading about 55mph when suddenly the car went on what wasn't even really a corner, just a slight kink in the road.

 

Odd

[Mike C]

here's one of the newspaper articles

 

http://www.shropshirestar.com/show_article.php?aID=43908

[Mike C]

here's a better one

 

says his younger brother was injured too. I was told he wasn't, but guess his injuries pale into insignificance in comparison

 

http://www.bridgnorthjournal.com/news/publ...ticle_11802.php