Sophie Bowles, 23, from Powys, remains in hospital after being struck by a car while working as a highway maintenance operative on July 13. She was crushed against a chipper and dragged five metres, suffering a pelvis broken in nine places with internal bleeding, a broken right hip, a shattered right femur and nerve damage in her right leg. She has undergone three major operations and will have to wait several more weeks before she can come home.
Three major operations
Sophie has undergone three major operations since the crash. The day after the incident, she had surgery on her hip, femur and pelvis. She then spent time in intensive care before a second eight-hour operation to rebuild the rear of her pelvis. A third procedure followed to try to amend the sciatic nerve and shave bone from the hip joint.
Matthew said: "The surgeon who was absolutely outstanding said that it was the worst pelvic injury that she had ever seen in a surviving patient. I think we are lucky to still have her."
Father's shock after phone call
Matthew, who works at the same company as Sophie, said she passed her HGV last year and had been determined to drive trucks and do the job she was doing on the day she was hit. He described Sophie as "very driven".
At around 6pm on July 13, he received a call from his boss telling him Sophie had been struck by a car, an ambulance had been called and they suspected a broken leg. He said: "Obviously that wasn't the case. It was a bit more serious than that. Initially there was a bit of shock, a bit of disbelief, then you're like, 'Ok, it's a broken leg, we can deal with that.' Hopefully it is nothing more serious."
Matthew and his wife later arrived at Southmead Hospital in Bristol, where they were ushered into a family room. Two hours later, they saw Sophie for the first time and were told about all the complications from the crash. He recalled: "It was at that point we realised it wasn't a broken leg... it was a lot more."
Describing the moment, he said: "It was a tremendous shock. Absolutely mind-blowing. You see it on 24 Hours In A&E and you never even imagine you are going to be thrust into that situation. I can only liken it to being pushed out of an aeroplane without a parachute trying to figure out what the hell to do. It is like a bottomless pit."
Long road to recovery
Sophie remains in tremendous pain and will soon be transferred to Prince Charles Hospital in Merthyr Tydfil to continue her recovery. The family has launched a GoFundMe to convert their garage into an accessible wet room and living space, as her current room is only big enough for a bed placed sideways.
Matthew explained: "We know that Sophie is not going to have the quality of life that she had before this so we needed to get her a bigger room. Her room at the minute is very small; it is only just big enough for a bed to put in sideways. We decided that we needed to extend out to the garage and create a wet room so she can sit down and shower because she is not going to be able to shower. It is going to take years for her to get back to a point where she can function normally. It is a long road."
He said Sophie was extremely strong-minded and not going to let this beat her, but they were in the early stages of accepting what happened. She was initially totally against a fundraiser but has now realised she is not as well as she thought, and has agreed to it.
Asked if he was surprised by her strength, Matthew struggled to hold in the tears and the interview was left there. He said: "It is a bit of both. She is a strong girl, I expected some strength. But with what she has gone through... I think it still might hit yet. I am extremely proud of her, she is such a brave girl... sorry. It has knocked us all for six, I will be honest with you."
Police statement
A Gwent Police spokesperson said: "We received a report of a road traffic collision on B4521 towards Abergavenny at around 5.25pm on Monday 13 July. Officers attended alongside paramedics from the Welsh Ambulance Service. The collision involved a pedestrian and a car; she remains in hospital in a serious but stable condition. This incident has been reported to the Health and Safety Executive for review."
