A WOMAN who broke her neck and both her legs after being involved in a car crash has set herself the challenge of trekking in North Africa next year.
Lucy Gordon, 22, from Marske, Redcar and Cleveland, was driving on Moor Row, in Whitehaven, when her car was involved in a collision with a van on Sunday 4 August.
She said: “I remember the initial impact. The thud of it all.
“Where my hand actually fell, it was on my leg, and all I could feel was this lump, so I knew I broke my leg immediately. The first thing I did was wiggle my toes. I was like, right they still work. I’m okay. I’m okay.”
Miss Gordon’s friend Callum Hough, who was with her at the time, had managed to get out of the car, but he had broken his lower back and ended up collapsing on the floor.
During this time, the car had set alight, but thankfully some of the drivers nearby who witnessed the crash, had pulled over and rushed to put the fire out.
Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service arrived on scene and cut Miss Gordon out of her car, which she was trapped in for approximately half an hour.
Both the North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) and Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) attended the incident and assessed and treated the patients.
Miss Gordon was airlifted to James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough, while her friend and the other driver were taken to hospital by NWAS.
She said: “I remember waking up in a helicopter. The team were reassuring and calming me.
“I just remember them being lovely.”
Miss Gordon was found to have broken her neck, collarbone, right arm, both legs, right knee and left foot.
She had a plate put in her arm, and metal rods put in both legs from her knee to her hip.
After six weeks in hospital she returned to her parent’s home in Marske to continue her recovery and recently visited the GNAAS base at Langwathby where she was reunited with the paramedic Andy Dalton, who treated her on scene.
She said: “It was an honour to meet the paramedic who treated me and the rest of the team. They were so nice and friendly, and I enjoyed my visit.”
Mr Dalton added: “Lucy had some nasty injuries, but she seems to be handling them with positivity and that’s half the battle when it comes to recovering. It was a pleasure to meet her at the base and we hope she continues to go from strength to strength.”
Since visiting the base, Miss Gordon has signed up to trek the Atlas Mountains in Morocco to raise money for GNAAS.
She said: “It’s an amazing opportunity to support and raise funds for the people who saved my life. It still feels a little surreal that I will be completing the challenge.
“I have never done a challenge like this before. I know it is a difficult challenge to commit to, but it gives me a goal to work towards with my recovery. I can’t wait to see the views from the mountains, it will be breath-taking. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity.”
GNAAS is offering the opportunity for supporters to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania or the Atlas Mountains in Morocco while raising funds for the charity.
To learn more about each of the treks and how you can get signed up visit: gna.as/treks
