Pick Me Up! Special – September 2019

Afterahorrificaccident,

Samantha Bowman, 48, from

Doncaster, thought her

daughter was out of the woods.

WORDS

BY

LUCY

BRYANT

PHOTOS:

SWNS

G

oingthroughthemail,I

spotted a letter for my

daughter Becky.

‘For you, love,’ I

smiled, passing her the envelope.

Ripping it open, she screamed.

‘I got in!’ she cried, jumping up

and giving me a hug.

‘I knew you would,’ I beamed.

‘I’m so proud of you.’

It was 2008, and at 15, Becky

had been accepted on a college

course to study travel and tourism,

business and Spanish.

She’d dreamed of working as a

holiday rep abroad, and I had no

doubt in my mind that she’d do it.

Apart from being clever, she

was very bubbly and outgoing,

always going out with her friends.

She also loved spending time

with me, her brother Callum, then

12, and her stepdad Dougie, 43.

‘You should go out to

celebrate,’ I smiled.

Sure enough, Becky had

arranged to meet some of her

friends in the next village, and that

evening, after pecking me on the

cheek, she was racing out the

door. ‘Have fun!’ I said. Callum

wentupstairsto hisroom,so Dougie

and I took advantage of a quiet night

in, settling in front of the telly.

Just then, about 20 minutes after

Becky had left, there was a loud

banging on the front door.

Has she forgotten something? I

wondered, getting up from the sofa.

But, opening the door, it wasn’t

Becky, but her friends.

And they were in tears.

‘There’s been an accident,’ one of

them said.

‘What happened?’ I cried.

‘We were waiting

for a bus,’ she

started. ‘Then a car

drove into Becky.’

They said the

three occupants of

the car had fled.

Racing out with

Dougie, we followed

the girls to the nearby

bus shelter.

A crowd of people

had already gathered

around, but there in

the middle of it all, I

saw her.

Lying in a heap on

e pavement was my Becky.

Running towards her, I saw that

she was unconscious, her face and

body covered in blood.

She was also making a gurgling

noise, as if she couldn’t breathe.

‘It’s OK,’ I said to her. ‘I’m here.’

As an ambulance arrived,

paramedics pushed me aside so they

could work on her.

I was helpless as they tried to

resuscitate her, sobbing as Dougie

tried to hold me back.

After stabilising her, paramedics

put Becky into the ambulance and

raced her to Doncaster Royal

Infirmary while Dougie and I

followed in a police car.

Arriving at the hospital, a doctor

took me aside.

‘Becky’s suffered a cracked skull

and severe brain injuries,’ he said.

‘She may not last the night.’

‘No!’ I screamed.

I couldn’t lose Becky.

She was my whole world.

After conversations with police,

we learned that a green Vauxhall

Vectra had smashed into the bus

shelter and a heavy metal post had

collapsed into Becky’s skull.

She had multiple fractures, and

part of her brain had been retrieved

Callum was so

relieved to get

his sister back

We had such

high hopes for

the future

Becky survived a

horrific accident

at a bus stop

SECO