A15 crash survivor Connor Wilson praises support from charity Headway

A 21-YEAR-OLD man who suffered a brain injury in a road traffic accident says the support he has been given by a local charity has helped him since his near-death experience.

Connor Wilson, was in a coma for almost 10 weeks after the car he was driving hit a tree on the A15 near the Riseholme roundabout near Lincoln on February 9, 2011.

He had suffered a life-changing brain injury and his recovery continues.

It is believed tiredness may have been a factor in the collision which appears to have been caused after he fell asleep, the car drifted, he woke up, over steered and the vehicle spun out of control, came off the road and hit a tree.

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Connor suffered a diffused axonal brain injury – the same as Top Gear's Richard Hammond – and damage to the brain stem and frontal temple and occipital lobes.

Connor's recovery has been aided by the Butterwick branch of the Headway charity which supports people who have suffered brain injuries.

And as the second anniversary of the crash approached, Connor told the Target: "I had to learn to walk and talk again.

"I woke up a completely different person and had no emotions. It was a traumatic time for my family. We have been lucky enough to have the support of Headway Lincolnshire, the brain injury charity."

The Butterwick branch was set up by Barbara Hilton from Benington who was named volunteer of the year by the national charity for the way she defied her own brain injuries to help others similarly affected. She has become friends with Andrea Wilson, Connor's mum, who is now also a volunteer for the branch.

Mrs Wilson was the last person to talk to Connor before his accident and said: "It's a miracle Connor is here with us.

"We were told to expect the worse and to say our goodbyes. It was awful. As well as being in a coma he also had phenomena.

"I got the knock on the door at 12.40am. The policeman just asked if Connor lived here.

"When he came in I thought 'car crash, how bad can it be?' I asked if Connor was alive and he said he couldn't tell me.

"Then we were blue-lighted to hospital. He was put in an induced coma at Lincoln and transferred to Sheffield, where he slipped into his own coma.

"Connor was working so hard, he was rushing around and going out. He was just trying to get on with his life. He is a good lad."

Headway meets at the Five Bells in Butterwick on the first Wednesday of each month. For more information call Ann-Marie Smith on 07546 592526.