How did she survive?
Teacher’s miraculous escape after rush-hour smash leaves her car crushed under a lorry
tHE car is barely visible, crushed beneath the wheels of a massive truck in a horrific rush-hour smash.
Remarkably, its driver escaped with her life after being cut unconscious from the wreckage. teacher Katie Holt cheated death when the driver of a skip hire truck failed to stop and propelled her VW Golf into the back of the lorry in front.
such was the damage, some passers-by didn’t even realise her mangled car had been crushed between the two vehicles at first as it was compacted into such a tight space.
Remarkably, Mrs Holt had no lifethreatening injuries when she was rescued from the wreckage.
she spent ten days in hospital where she was treated for fractures to her skull and arm and two chipped vertebrae.
the mother-of-one, 39, took around two months to get back on her feet because of numbness and weakness in her left arm and leg.
But she considers herself extremely fortunate because things were not worse. ‘When I saw the photos of the crash I was astonished,’ she said. ‘It’s amazing what the human body can do. I put 100 per cent into my recovery and it has not been easy.
‘Doctors said that from the extent of the collision they were surprised I hadn’ t severed tendons from my skull to my shoulders.
‘But they said it wasn’t as bad as it could have been because I was quite muscly and robust and that I was “clearly in good nick”.
‘I still have no recollection of the crash I was involved in and can only remember coming round in the hospital. After seeing the pictures of the accident I feel incredibly lucky to be here.
‘I can only hope what happened to me will illustrate to drivers, particularly those driving large vehicles, of the long-term consequences of even a slight lapse in concentration on the road.’
the accident happened as Mrs Holt was driving to work at Felsted Preparatory school in Essex.
the English teacher had stopped in traffic on the A120 near Braintree when the skip hire truck driven by Kevin Mann, 51, struck her VW Golf from behind and wedged it under a container lorry in front.
Firemen took more than an hour to cut her free before she was airlifted to the Royal London Hospital in East London, where she had an operation on her arm and shoulder. she also suffered a deep cut to her left eye and damage to her optic nerve. Mann initially denied driving without due care and attention but changed his plea on the day of his trial after seeing a technical investigation report.
the tachograph revealed he had not braked in time, ruling out ice as a factor, Colchester Magistrates Court heard. He was given six penalty points, a £350 fine, £550 costs and a £35 victim surcharge.
Mrs Holt, who lives in Colchester, has since been handed an undisclosed settlement by the insurers of the skip company after bosses admitted liability.
she initially stayed with her parents after she was discharged from hospital so they could care for her while her husband Rob, also a teacher, continued working.
the former assistant head, who gave birth to her first child, Ella, three weeks ago, returned to work last september in a less senior role due to ongoing problems including vision and hearing problems.
she added: ‘I know my career progression will be hampered by the long-term impact of the accident.
‘thankfully, I have been able to make a good recovery and now that a settlement has been agreed, I know I’ll be able to access the treatment that will see me improve even further.’
Laura Murphy, a lawyer specialising in serious injury at Irwin Mitchell, who represented Mrs Holt, said her survival and recovery had been ‘nothing short of a miracle’.