Agony of mother as her face is slashed in horror ski accident
A MOtHer was left with horrific injuries when she was hit in the face by a pair of skis during a half-term family holiday.
louise timbrell suffered deep cuts and severe bruising in the accident on the slopes.
two years on, the 42-year-old has still not regained full control of her mouth and suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder.
Mrs timbrell was standing at the side of the slopes in the French Alps when a 12year- old girl sped past carrying a pair of skis on her shoulder. the skis hit her in the face, slashing her cheek and lip.
Now the teacher, who says the incident ‘dramatically changed my life’ is suing the insurers of the child who accidentally struck her. ‘i get flashbacks and have nightmares. Just looking at my face is a reminder every day of what happened to me,’ she said.
‘i am terrified of going skiing again, something that has been a tradition for me and my family for a long time.’
Mrs timbrell, from Ackleton, Shropshire, went on the halfterm holiday in February 2015 with husband Andy, 43, and their two children Archie, now 12, and Darcy, now 16. An accomplished skiing family, they had regularly made the trip to the resort of Morillon, in the Grand Massif.
While Mr timbrell, a chartered surveyor, and the children were skiing on a moderate grade blue run, Mrs timbrell stood at the side of the slope to watch.
She claims that as she did, she was hit in the face by a pair of skis slung over the shoulder of the 12-year- old skier, a British girl who lives in France. She fell, bleeding from her cheek and lip and drifting in and out of consciousness. A rescue team carried her three miles down the slope on a stretcher so she could be taken to hospital.
‘i just remember getting hit in the face,’ she said. ‘it all happened so quickly and the next thing i knew i was lying in the snow. i could hear my children screaming and my face was in so much pain. My hood was filled with blood and straight away i knew it was really serious.
‘in hindsight i am so thankful i had my sunglasses on, otherwise the skis could have cut my eye.’ the right side of her face was slashed from cheek to lip, severing the upper lip muscle and leaving a hole into the gum. Doctors told her she needed six internal stitches to repair her upper lip and eight external stitches.
After ten hours, Mrs timbrell was discharged. the family cut short their holiday and set off on the 15-hour drive home.
She went to the Princess royal Hospital in telford and was later examined by a specialist. it was only then that she could bear to look at her injuries in the mirror.
‘i was absolutely heartbroken. i looked such a mess,’ she said. Doctors say the scarring to her face may be permanent, and Mrs timbrell now dribbles and struggles to drink out of a bottle. She needs weekly therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder.
She struggles to walk because of the impact of the accident and says she is embarrassed at dribbling in front of her students.
Mrs timbrell has hired lawyers irwin Mitchell to pursue her claim for damages. victoria Pegg, international serious injury specialist at the firm, said: ‘She suffered physical and emotional scarring that is still to this day affecting how she works.’