A WOMAN who suffered life-changing injuries after surviving a serious crash has raised more than £1,500 for the charity who saved her life.
Danyelle Clarke, 36, from Wynyard, Billingham, was the passenger in her mother’s car when it was involved in a collision with a lorry on the A19 near Crathorne in July 2018.
She said: “I remember the day of the accident being a lovely sunny day. My mam and I were travelling along the A19 approaching the Cleveland Tontine. I have no memory of the actual accident, only the conversation with my mam moments before, where we were chatting away excitedly about the ‘girlie day’ that we had planned.
“I’ve been told that we were overtaking a lorry when it suddenly swerved into our lane, crushing us against the crash barrier, then flipping our car onto its roof and dragging it along on top of the barrier, before projecting us into oncoming traffic.”
The Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) and the Yorkshire Ambulance Service (YAS) quickly responded to the scene and assessed and treated Danyelle’s injuries.
She was put into a medically induced coma, before being taken to James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough by the YAS road crew, accompanied by the doctor and paramedic from GNAAS.
Danyelle said: “I sustained a severe traumatic brain injury. I was in a coma for six weeks and spent four and half months in hospital. When I woke up I was completely paralysed down the right side of my body, with limited movement in my left side. I was unable to hold my head up or retain my tongue in my mouth. I couldn’t speak and had blurred and double vision.
“I’ve been having daily physio and therapy since coming home from the hospital, during which I’ve had to rebuild my muscles, relearn simple tasks like sitting and standing, and regain my coordination and balance. I had to learn to speak again. I am currently learning how to walk again and use my right arm and hand.”
To help with her recovery, Danyelle signed up to GNAAS’ virtual challenge called Race to the Base.
The virtual fundraising event saw supporters cover distances that the GNAAS’ critical care team travel while responding to call-outs.
They had to complete the distance in one month and could cover it any way they wanted, such as running, walking, cycling, or swimming.
Danyelle chose to cover 78 miles by walking and cycling and aimed to raise £200 but surpassed this target very quickly.
She said: “I felt that taking part in Race to Base was something I could do now, whilst continuing my recovery. I chose to do 78 miles (eight walking and 70 cycling) because that was a challenge, but achievable.
“I was aiming for £200 but raised £1,568. I’m overwhelmed by the support and encouragement that I received.
“The GNAAS team saved my life, and I can never thank them enough. I hope to become a volunteer in the future, because I think it’s important to give something back, and help raise awareness that GNAAS is a charity funded organisation, who need financial support to continue their amazing work.”
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