Ellen speaks about the 'mistake' of taking her seatbelt off in a moving car
Ellen was travelling through Lincolnshire near Woodhall Spa when the car she was a passenger in left the road and crashed into a tree
This morning, we've been telling you on-air about Ellen's story. She was a 19 year old girl, who was travelling home from Woodhall Spa, when she suffered devastating injuries in a crash.
"Just keep your seatbelt on please."
She'd been a passenger and in June 2022 she momentarily took off her seatbelt to reach something, when the driver lost control and hit a tree.
Nationally, on average 650 people are killed or seriously injured each year due to not wearing a seatbelt.
Ellen calls it, a 'mistake':
"All I remember of the night of 2022 in June, is that big red moon. That's all I remember seeing in the car. I was so tired. I'd done like a 12 hour shift. The last thing I remember is; I went to pass mum my coffee to offer it, then we turned - it was a roundabout - Maisie went to pass me my keys and she dropped them... my seatbelt then locks as I reach for it, so I thought I'll take it off.
"Mum lost control of the car and I don't know why but we crashed into one of the trees. My Mum had bruising , and like a fluid build up and Maisie had a fractured collarbone in two places.
"I see now why everyone says put your seat belt on.
"They were saying my name apparently, and I don't remember this because I was passed out and mum had to get in the back, lift my head up and hold my tongue, she said I kept, like gasping. My lungs were deflated. So I was taking in little bits of air to keep me going until the emergency services were there. But they said I was laid literally flat and just all on the floor, there is blood."
Ellen was taken to Hull Royal Infirmary where she was put into an induced coma while the extent of her injuries was assessed. Ellen had punctured lungs, a bleed on the brain, a deep gash to her head, a spinal fracture and a femur fracture. She could not talk or walk.
"I did 5 or 6 weeks in Hull Royal. Apparently I was quite challenging because obviously I couldn't talk. I couldn't communicate that I was in pain. I couldn't do anything really and clearly my brain was trying to do things that I now wasn't able to do. I'd have physio twice a day though. I was like, "I want to get better"."
"The experience, it's changed my life a vast amount.
"I couldn't look after myself. I couldn't walk. I couldn't go upstairs properly. It was really, really bad the first year. Now I've come a long, long way. They all thought that I'd be in hospital for six months. I won't be able to talk. I'd be going to a care home or something.
"If you're gonna take your belt off, pull over. I was in the back and this all happened to me. If I was driving, I wouldn't be here right now. And I've been told that by the emergency services. I was naive and silly. Big mistake. Just please, wear your seatbelt."
Defying the odds, and exceeding expectations, Ellen has come a long way and is now working and studying at college. Wanting to find something positive to take from her ordeal, Ellen got in touch with the Lincolnshire Road Safety Partnership, wanting to raise awareness of the importance of seatbelts.
So, as part of Brake Road Safety Week, Lincolnshire Police have released videos of Ellen, telling her story. This'll also now play a part in education programmes across the county.
Nick Matthews, Road Safety Education Supervisor at the LRSP said:
“It’s a testament to Ellen’s character that after all she has been through, she approached us wanting to do something to help make our roads safer. We are very proud of what she has achieved with this video.
"It’s not easy to talk on camera, especially about such a traumatic thing, but Ellen speaks with such honesty and her story is compelling. It’s a potentially lifesaving message and using Ellen’s voice to reach people, both online and in schools, will really help convey the difference a seatbelt makes.”
Road Safety Week will run from today (17 November) until 23 November. The theme is “after the crash” recognising the impact on victims and their loved ones for long after a collision has happened, as was the case for Ellen and her family.
The importance of seatbelts is a key area for our Police's engagement and enforcement.
Not wearing a seatbelt is identified as one of the behaviours that cause the most harm on Lincolnshire’s roads.
Others, include speed, distraction and drink/drug driving. If you’re caught travelling in a vehicle without wearing a seatbelt you could be given a fixed penalty notice of £100 on the spot.
Ellen’s message today is, “If you are going to take your belt off, pull over. I was in the back and this all happened to me.
"If I was driving, I wouldn’t be here right now and I have been told that by the emergency services.
"I was naive and silly. Big mistake. So please, wear your seatbelt.”