As first dates go, ours was perfect, right up until the moment Richard, then 31, leant in and kissed me for the first time. It was a beautiful autumn night in October 2007, and we’d just left the pub and started making our way to the taxi rank when he made his move. ‘Thank you for a lovely evening,’ Richard said, and I closed my eyes, taking in the moment.
As we embraced, a car suddenly mounted the pavement, roaring towards us and hitting us both head on. It all happened so fast as Richard was flung one way and I flew the other. I don’t really remember the impact as I crashed back down onto the pavement.
Fog of pain
I must have been unconscious for several minutes, but when I woke up I could hear sirens. In a fog of pain and shock, I was blue-lighted to Eastbourne District General Hospital, where X-rays showed I’d sustained damage to tendons in my legs and feet, and my spine was badly bruised.
On a high dose of painkillers, I was wheeled onto a ward, where I saw Richard lying in a hospital bed.
‘We thought we’d put you two lovebirds together,’ a nurse smiled. With dried blood staining my face and bruises all over my body, I looked terrible.
‘This is definitely a first date to remember,’ I joked, laughing away the pain.
I soon got over my initial embarrassment as Richard was badly injured, too, having broken bones in both legs. And doctors had said he’d have to have a toe amputated. We were both facing months in recovery.
This story is from the February 02, 2021 edition of WOMAN'S OWN.
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This story is from the February 02, 2021 edition of WOMAN'S OWN.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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