A Queensland woman has been granted medical leave after her baby’s neck was broken in a car accident, the first time in her life she has felt she has a “blanket” protection from injury.
Emily White, 33, was riding in a Ford Focus at the intersection of Highway 1 and Highway 8 on Monday when she was hit by a vehicle on her way home from a wedding.
“I was driving, my daughter was sitting in the back seat, she was in the front passenger seat,” Ms White told ABC Radio Brisbane.
“When I came to a stop I was knocked out and there was a car behind me and the front bumper smashed into the front of the car.”
“I just kind of lay there for about 10 seconds before I got out of the way.”
“The only thing I could think about was my baby’s face and I was terrified.” “
It wasn’t until I got home that I realised that I had been hit.”
“The only thing I could think about was my baby’s face and I was terrified.”
The baby was airlifted to hospital, but she was later discharged.
“They did a scan and they found a massive amount of blood in my brain, and a lot of the nerve endings were gone,” Ms Black said.
“The doctors said the brain damage is probably permanent and I don’t even know if it’s going to affect my ability to walk or to function at all.”
“It’s been a nightmare.”
Ms White said she was able to walk for the first couple of weeks, but her mobility was impaired.
“You just can’t do much more than that, it’s just really difficult to do things in my day-to-day life,” she said.
Ms White was able a week later to work as a security guard, but was unable to do the same job after her car was involved in a serious crash.
“There’s not much you can do when you’re stuck in the car, you can’t drive or do any of the basic tasks of living,” she told ABC Brisbane.
‘I didn’t want to go back there’ Ms White, who is a nurse, has suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder since the accident.
She said the car had been involved in multiple crashes in her past, including a collision with a truck driver.
“That really shook me up because I was in a really bad position, so I didn’t really want to come back there,” she explained.
“So when the accident happened I just kind to just go on with my day.”
The couple are hoping to get a job as a nurse in the future, but said their time at home is now being taken over by the baby.
Ms Black, who has an older child, said she would be willing to help the baby through the birth if the insurance company will pay for it.
“If the insurer would help, it would mean a lot to me,” she added.
“We’re just hoping that they will do the right thing.”