My name is Jessica. I am 39 years old, a road trauma survivor, and my life is measured in two parts: before my car incident and after it.
Before my incident, I was 24 years old and a primary school teacher. I played netball, had a very active social life and was surrounded by friends I trusted dearly. I felt like I had my whole life ahead of me.
The incident
On 8 April 2011, I was driving home after the end of the first term of school. It was around 4pm and I was travelling along a country road. As I came around a corner, I crossed the double lines and collided head-on with an oncoming truck.
Witnesses rushed to help and called an ambulance. I was so seriously injured that I was flown by helicopter to The Alfred Hospital. I had massive internal injuries and had lost so much blood that I very nearly died.
I was in a coma for more than three months.
After six weeks at The Alfred, I was transferred to the High Dependency Unit at Vic Rehab, which is for some of the most seriously injured patients. I don’t remember any of this. My first memory is waking up around three months later, confused and unable to walk or talk.
I remember looking around the hospital and thinking, “I’m the only young person here. Everyone else is old as!”
I spent around eight months at Vic Rehab. I had to learn how to walk, talk, dress and care for myself all over again. I spent countless hours doing physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy. I hated it. Sometimes, when the workers came to my room, I would pretend to be asleep so they would leave me alone.
I was 24 years old, and my life had changed completely.
The past 15 years have been a roller coaster of heartbreak, pain, embarrassment and loss. When my life changed without warning, so much of the person I had been seemed to disappear with it. My social life, optimism and willingness to try new things were all affected.
People told me I could do or be anything I wanted. Then suddenly, I was too injured to work or socialise in the same way. I had to accept that there were things I could no longer do, and that was devastating.
It still hurts to think about everything I have lost and to wonder why my life had to change so suddenly.
My life today
I live with chronic pain every day. I take medication to manage it and deal with the ongoing psychological impacts of my injuries, including loneliness, anxiety and depression. From the outside, photographs may not show the physical and emotional pain I carry. Hiding that pain and pretending to live a happy life like everyone else can be an uphill battle.
My life today is very different from the life I imagined for myself. It is simple, and I am independent. I live in my own townhouse and I can drive, although with restrictions. Restriction is my middle name now!
I have had to learn to accept the life I have today, even though it is not the life I imagined or wanted.
Recently, I drove to my local chemist to collect medication. It was raining and very windy. As I turned a corner, I hit the kerb and damaged my tyre. I continued very slowly until people nearby signalled for me to stop. I pulled over safely and discovered that my tyre had come off.
I called my father, Tony, who has worked in the trades his whole life. He was not very happy that I had continued driving, but I felt I needed to get my medication. That is my reality now: I rely on medication to manage the consequences of my injuries.
One moment of inattention changed the rest of my life
The physical act of the crash is long gone, but the emotional scars remain. I will live with the consequences of that moment forever.
My message to anyone behind the wheel is simple: pay attention.
You may be in a hurry. You may be tired. You may have somewhere you desperately want to be. But no destination is worth risking your life or someone else’s.
You want to go anywhere and everywhere. I understand that. But make sure you get there safely.
Be alert when you get behind the wheel. One moment can change everything.
