‘I never want others to go through what I did’ The paralysed teacher who overcame the worst to help others
On her collarbone, Lauren Doherty has a tattoo with the words “Knew I should have looked” along with the date of the accident that completely changed her life.
The tattoo reflects the humour and positivity with which Lauren has approached the aftermath of her accident, using it to inspire and educate others.
Lauren, now 34, had just turned 20 when she suffered life-changing injuries after stepping off the pavement into the path of an oncoming van.
The impact of the crash sent Lauren catapulting 30 feet down the road and she was lucky to survive her horrific injuries including a broken neck, a severed spinal cord, a shattered pelvis and a ruptured aorta.
She had to be put into an induced coma and underwent four lifesaving operations in the first 24 hours after the crash.
Lauren, who lives in Knaresborough, North Yorkshire, was returning from a night out watching a gig with a friend when the crash happened. She tells i she has no recollection of the actual accident and her first memories are of waking up in intensive care a week later listening to the whirring of machines, to find tubes attached to her body.
“I remember going out that night, but after that, the next thing I remember is waking up in hospital,” recalls Lauren. “I was on a lot of medication, but I remember my mum and dad being there and hearing all the noise of the machines.
“I had a tube up my nose and was attached to a ventilator and everything felt strange and confusing when I woke up.”
Lauren was told by her family that she was completely paralysed and doctors feared she might never breathe for herself again.
Lauren says the enormity of the impact on her life did not fully sink in until months later when she was transferred to a specialist spinal unit in Sheffield. “I was having to get used to people doing things for me and that was difficult because I had always been so independent and used to doing everything for myself and being able to get up and go anywhere,” says Lauren. “To go from that to having people around me all the time took a lot of getting used to. It made me realise that this was what my life was going to be like.”
Lauren vowed to breathe for herself and medics unhooked the ventilator from her tracheostomy so she could gradually build up to it. Although she cannot manage a full day without ventilation, it was a huge milestone in regaining some of her independence.
It was while she was in hospital that Lauren first told her parents she wanted to go into schools to talk to children about road safety. “I wanted to stop something like this happening to someone else and I thought if I could do that by sharing my story, then that would be something positive.”
After spending 16 months in hospital and rebuilding her life, Lauren joined forces with Rebecca Blunstone, who is now project manager of Road Safety Talks, the charity Lauren founded. It all began with her arranging for Lauren to give a road safety talk to around 10 children at her daughter’s primary school.
“I did the road safety talk, we played a video and at the end, we let the children ask any questions. The children seemed really interested and sat really well and asked lots of questions,” she said.
“I remember as we were leaving, I said to Rebecca: ‘If they didn’t like it, we don’t have to do it again.’ I went from saying that to now having spoken to more than 10,000 children.”
Lauren regularly visits primary and secondary schools, as well as colleges, groups, organisations and companies to educate listeners about the consequences of not taking care on the road on your own life and that of those around you.
“I love doing these talks and it is so inspiring meeting young people,” she says. “I never want another family to go through what we did and if I can save one person from having an accident by talking about my experience and story, it is worth it.”
Lauren has received several prestigious awards for the work she has done, including a British Empire Medal in the last Queen’s Birthday Honours – and she has received an invitation to the King’s coronation.
Lauren says she only found out from police and witness statements that she had not been watching when crossing the road and had subsequently stepped out in front of the van.
When she decided to get a tattoo reflecting on her accident, Lauren discussed a few different ideas with her family before deciding on: “Knew I should have looked” with the date of the accident.
“As a family, I think we have used humour to get us through the last 15 years,” she says. “I find it funny when people see my tattoo and never know what to say!”
When Lauren’s father first rang to tell her she had been invited to the coronation, Lauren says she thought he was joking, but when she saw the email herself, she was amazed.
Usually, people only receive an invitation for themselves, but because Lauren needed two people to help her due to her tracheostomy, she will be able to share the experience with her mother and Rebecca.
“When I received the British Empire Medal, I didn’t think anything could top that, but now I am invited to the coronation” she says. “It is a bit overwhelming, but I feel extremely humbled and honoured to be invited to be part of this once-in-a-lifetime historical event.
“I know the atmosphere in London will be amazing and it will be an honour to be part of that experience.”
Rebecca says: “For Lauren to receive this invitation is, in my eyes, testament to all the incredible work she has done to educate others over the years. Not only the work around Road Safety, but in sharing her amazing story of personal resilience.
“She continues to demonstrate to others that decisions we make, even split-second decisions, can have life-changing consequences, but this doesn’t mean your life is over.
“By focusing on the positives and finding the strength and determination she has done, she has rebuilt her life, continuing to show us that out of adversity comes opportunity.”
