Woman walks for mile after life-changing accident
Cat NeillA woman who suffered life-changing injuries after being hit by a car returned to the scene of the accident one year on for a fundraising walk.
Cat Neill, 37, from Darlington, was nearing the end of an early morning run when a car drove across a roundabout, mounted the pavement and hit her, sending her flying in the air.
She broke several bones and needed nine operations to save her leg.
Ms Neill successfully walked one mile (1.6km) unaided for charity Day One Trauma Support, saying: "I would like to think people can look at my story and see that there is light at the end of the tunnel."
She had been training for the Great North Run on 7 February 2024 when she was hit on Geneva Road in Darlington.
Ms Neill was treated at The James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough, where she spent the next seven months in and out of hospital.
Medics warned her several times they might have to amputate her leg due to the severity of her injuries.
Day One Trauma SupportMs Neill said she felt "emotional" when completing the walk on Friday.
"I just looked around and thought, 'Wow, literally this time last year I would have been laid on that pavement waiting for the ambulance to come for me,'" she said.
"I'm proud of myself."
She was raising money for Day One Trauma Support after it helped her with her recovery.
Ms Neill does not know if she will ever be able to do the Great North Run again, but said she hoped to volunteer with the charity as a peer supporter.