Car crash survivor picks up £286k in EuroMillions win
A car crash survivor who spent six weeks in a coma and had to learn to walk again has seen his luck change with a huge lottery win.
Steve Cole, from Tunbridge Wells, was airlifted to hospital after a terrifying head-on smash while on his way to pick up his teenager daughter from school.
The 65-year-old, who was told he would have had just six minutes to live because of his injuries, was rescued by paramedics and flown to Kings College Hospital in London.
The father-of-seven suffered a flail chest, where part of the rib cage completely separates, a collapsed lung, a broken arm and two broken legs. He spent eight weeks in intensive care, six of which in an induced coma.
“I remember being put in the helicopter and then I woke up and it was Christmas,” he said. After going through the horrendous ordeal, the software development company owner had an unforgettable stroke of luck - winning £286,532 on the EuroMillions draw on Friday, July 17. He said: “Early on Saturday morning I took my coffee into the study to check my emails and spotted a ‘good news from The National Lottery’ message. Logging into my account, I was expecting to see a couple of pounds, instead there was a magnificent £286,532 starring back at me. I could pretend I coolly took in all in my stride but in fact I couldn’t do anything and simply sat there giggling.
“To be honest, following the last two years my children and I have lived through, a moment of giggling seems only reasonable.”
The avid golfer plans to spend some of his winnings on a family holiday to sunny Barbados, investing in a hedge fund, and on rare stamps for his collection - as well as a donation to the Air Ambulance.