A MUM who almost lost her life and that of her unborn baby in an horrendous crash has relived her ordeal in a bid to stop drink-drivers getting behind the wheel.

Life changed for 31-year-old cyclist Angela Scott, when she was hit by a drink-driver on August 12 last year.

In the intervening 16 months, Angela has not only made her own miraculous recovery from her horrific injuries, but was faced with the nightmare decision of whether to terminate her pregnancy after the crash.

For Angela, of Hopgrove Lane North, York, life is still a daily battle and she and her husband Paul, 30, have to face the constant fear that their baby girl Isla Rose might get childhood cancer because of the hospital treatment Angela went through following the accident.

On the day of the crash, Angela was cycling home along Malton Road at about 6.30pm when she was hit by a people carrier driven by Sasha Gaudet, who had an alcohol reading more than three times the drink-drive limit.

Angela was on her way home from work in the marketing department at York St John University, and had been working late because she’d been to the doctors to confirm that she was pregnant.

She said the last thing she remembers before the accident was being deliriously happy, as she and Paul had just got married and the doctor had just confirmed Angela was six-and-a-half weeks pregnant.

Recalling what she could of the accident, Angela said: “I was on the raised cycle path, on my normal route home from work. The car that hit me clipped a kerb and rolled over. It is thought that it caught me when it was ‘righting’ itself.

“I was wearing a backpack and this somehow got caught in the car’s wheels and I was dragged along with the car for about 30 to 40 feet before the car came to a halt in a ditch with my head about an inch away from one of the car’s front tyres.”

Angela was taken by ambulance to York Hospital and subsequently to Leeds General Infirmary where she spent a month and a half. She then spent another month and a half in York Hospital.

She was recovering from massive injuries including a brain haemorrhage, two skull fractures, two broken shoulders, internal bleeding and bruising to her liver, lungs and kidneys and two open fractures of her left leg. The bones in her left foot were also shattered and she suffered complete paralysis to the left side of her face including her eye, and injuries to both her ears.

Angela describes her memories of her time in hospital as “hazy” but she clearly recalls the moment the doctor gave her a scan to check whether her baby had survived.

She said: “Just as the consultant was about to start telling me whether my baby was alive or not, my mum arrived to hold my hand. Together we both turned our heads to the screen and saw a tiny kidney bean shape with an unmistakable blob that pulsated strongly – a heartbeat. The consultant didn’t have to tell me, I knew instantly that my baby was alive. I was pretty overcome.”

But Angela’s joy was short-lived when the consultant told her her baby might not survive.

Additionally, because of all the radiation her body had already received during hospital treatments, her baby had twice the normal chance of contracting a childhood cancer if it lived.

Angela and Paul had to decide whether they wanted to keep the baby.

Angela said: “I felt like this might be my one and only chance of having a baby.

“I tried to think about it, but although I didn’t actually decide I wanted to keep the baby, I couldn’t, just couldn’t bring myself to agree to somebody killing it. My brain just wouldn’t let me say those words. “In the end, I think my family just said to the hospital staff that there was no way I could make that sort of decision at that moment and it was never mentioned again.”

Over the intervening months, Angela had to relearn to feed herself, and slowly learnt to walk again.

On March 25 this year, Angela gave birth to little Isla Rose, who weighed eight pounds eight ounces. Now, more than a year after the accident, Angela says the events of that day still haunt her.

She said: “I suffer terribly with tinnitus and auditory hallucinations.

“I have frequent panic attacks and suffer badly with flashbacks of the accident. I used to be a confident, bubbly person with a very active social life and was doing well at work. Now I struggle to even see a friend in my own home. I’m not the happy mum I want to be. I feel like I’m letting my child down.

“On the outside I may have appeared to have ‘got off lightly’ but every day I feel like I’m fighting a battle to stay strong and sane. And I live with a constant fear that my baby might get cancer. I’m telling my story now in hope that it might convince at least one person not to drink and drive this Christmas.”


Police to get tough on drink-drivers

NORTH Yorkshire Police started their Christmas anti drink-drive campaign on December 1 this year.

About 30 people have been killed and nearly 800 injured because of drink-driving on North Yorkshire’s roads in the past five years.

The campaign will be reinforced by the use of fast-tracked court hearings, meaning law-breakers could lose their licence before Christmas.

Members of the public are encouraged to ring the charity Crimestoppers with information about anyone they know or suspect of drinking and driving. You do not have to give your name and could qualify for a cash reward. Call 0800 555 111.

Assistant chief constable Tim Madgwick said: “Drivers should be in no doubt that if they get behind the wheel after drinking or taking drugs, they will be brought before the courts and could lose their licence before Christmas. “Be safe rather than sorry and think about the consequences of losing your licence, losing your job, and the unthinkable – losing your life or taking someone else’s and having to live with that for the rest of your life.”

As well as roadside checks, every driver involved in a collision will be breathalysed and every officer, including those on foot patrol, will carry out breath tests, not just road policing officers. An illuminated billboard will be touring towns, appealing to revellers to appoint a designated driver and warning that they will be caught if they’ve been drinking.


Over-the-limit motorist jailed

Sasha Gaudet was found guilty of driving over the legal alcohol limit and dangerous driving when her case came up at Leeds Crown Court in March this year.

Gaudet, 36, of Lucas Avenue, Clifton, had a reading of 293 ml of alcohol in 100ml of blood when tested by police.

The legal limit is 80ml. She was sentenced to 14 months in jail and has since been released on licence.

A spokeswoman for North Yorkshire Police said: “This case graphically illustrates the devastating consequences of drink-driving.

We find it staggering that despite the widespread publicity around the effects, people still continue to break the law and risk the lives of innocent members of the public as well as their own. You could also lose your licence, your job and your freedom.”