The family of a 60-year-old woman, who was struck by a car in February 2011, have spoken of their struggle to deal with the effects that a brain trauma has had on her.
The woman, who was working as a lollipop lady at the time of the accident, was positioned ready to allow a pedestrian pushing a pram to cross the road, when a 69-year-old driver collided with her.
She was taken to hospital suffering from serious head injuries, and swelling of the brain left her confused. One of her daughters reports that upon arrival at the hospital to see her mother, having just been told about the incident, she found her “talking gibberish”. Furthermore, she states that her mother did not recognise her family members.
When she began to recover from the initial accident she was transferred to a unit in Newcastle specialising in brain injuries, where she remained for eleven months.
During the past two years, she has endured many operations, but she is still living with the effects of brain trauma.
Cognitive problems, memory loss, and disorientation mean that she sadly cannot enjoy the same independence she had prior to the collision. She also requires regular care and support so that she has a good quality of life.
Her daughter states, “I don’t know why it happened, but that one day changed the rest of her life and ours.”
She is now continuing her rehabilitation at home with the help of her family.
