Molly Goodchild, 15, Joins Expert Serious Injury Lawyers Irwin Mitchell To Raise Awareness About Life After Traumatic Injury

A teenage girl who suffered a traumatic brain injury after she was hit by a car outside her home is sharing the story of her recovery as part of Action For Brain Injury Week.

Molly Goodchild was just 14 when she was struck by the car opposite her home in Redbourn, St Albans on December 6, 2014, leaving her critically injured.

Her parents, Lucy and Lloyd instructed expert serious injury lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to help her secure funds for the support and rehabilitation she needed after the impact of the crash left her with cognitive difficulties, impaired vision, issues with balance and coordination and physically disabled.

Taking place from May 8 to 14, this year’s annual campaign week organised by Headway is based around the theme of life after brain injury and how such injuries have a lasting impact on not only survivors but also their families and carers.

As part of its work Headway has established ‘a new me’, a platform for people to share experiences which has been created to both challenge misconceptions about brain injury and also highlight the value that the right support can provide.

Molly was crossing the road behind a stationary bus, having just waved off a friend, when she was hit by the car. The force of the impact threw her into the air and she landed in the bushes outside her house.

She was taken by air ambulance to the Royal London Hospital suffering from major injuries including a traumatic head injury, a fractured pelvis and left leg.

Molly was transferred to Great Ormond Street Hospital’s paediatric intensive care unit that evening, where she remained for 10 days. She was then returned to the Royal London Hospital for rehabilitation before being moved to the Children’s Trust at Tadworth two months after the accident.

She was finally allowed home in July 2015 following months of intensive hydrotherapy, physiotherapy, speech and language therapy and occupational therapy. But, while Molly’s return home was a happy occasion for her family, Molly’s personality had suffered and she was suddenly prone to violent and impulsive behaviour, constant swearing and abusive language.

Almost two-and-a-half years after the crash which almost claimed her life, Molly, 15, is joining her lawyers at Irwin Mitchell in lending her voice to Headway’s campaign.

Molly said: “I think a lot of people believe that if you’re out of hospital, you must be better, but brain injury recovery is so much more than learning to walk and talk again, which is enough of a challenge in itself.

“I knew I had changed. I was in a wheelchair in the early days, but my desire to walk was so strong that I would often try and get out of my wheelchair impulsively.

“I was very angry, not just about what had happened to me, but by the uncertainty about my future. When I eventually went back to school, I wasn’t the same person I had been so didn’t just slot back into my old friendship groups. It was hard, not just for me but my family who were often the focus of my rage.

“When you break bones, they ultimately heal and in most cases you can do exactly the same things you did before. With a brain injury, you can sometimes lose part of yourself and you have to learn how to be a new version of yourself.

It’s not the first time Molly has spoken out about her life-changing injuries, appearing in CBBC documentary ‘My Life: Knocked Back’ in November 2015, sharing the story of her ongoing rehabilitation and recovery.

She added: “I think it’s important to talk about brain injury so people can understand how to deal with someone going through it – or their families who, while they may not be the ones injured, are still victims of the circumstances and need the support of those around them.”

Irwin Mitchell’s specialist serious injury lawyers, who have vast experience of helping brain injury survivors to access vital financial support to fund their rehabilitation, have said the campaign, and Molly’s story, shines a light on some incredibly important issues.

Expert Opinion

“Through our work we have seen numerous instances when people’s lives have been completely turned upside down as a result of a traumatic brain injury, whether it is survivors themselves, family members or friends.

“It can be an incredibly difficult period of anyone’s life, but we also know how access to the right rehabilitation and support can help survivors get the best from life.

In Molly’s case, interim funding secured in the court case now means she can have further rehabilitation to help her with my injuries and more therapy so that she can make further progress with her recovery.

“We are a proud supporter of the work of Headway and warmly welcome the focus of this year’s Action for Brain Injury Week. It is a vital reminder of how so many survivors – like Molly - are able to overcome incredible obstacles to regain much-needed independence.” Tracey Storey - Partner

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