Andrea Gregory Suffered A Traumatic Brain Injury, Fractured Skull And Bleeding On The Brain In The Accident In February Last Year

A woman who lost her sense of smell and taste after she was struck by a vehicle that careered through a shopping centre car park has received a six-figure settlement from his insurers.

Andrea Gregory from Nottingham, has no recollection of the accident at local Netherfield Retail Park on February 26 last year which left her with a traumatic brain injury, fractured skull and bleeding on the brain.

The 43-year-old was later told by police officers investigating the collision that the driver lost control as he drove through the car park, colliding with several vehicles before coming to a stop. Andrea had just got out of her car when she was hit by the driver.

Andrea instructed expert serious injury lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to help secure a settlement to fund any future support or rehabilitation she may need as a result of her injuries and psychological trauma.

The qualified beauty therapist is joining Irwin Mitchell in speaking out about the impact of her injuries as part of Action For Brain Injury Week. 

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.

Andrea suffered a contusion to the right frontal lobe of her brain in the crash, as well as a contre-coup trauma – an injury which occurs on the opposite side of the area that was hit - rendering her unable to smell or taste. 

She was unable to return to work for several months after the collision due to her injuries. She also suffers from pre and post-traumatic amnesia, problems with her eyesight including hyper-sensitivity to light, anxiety and alopecia.

She said: “I am very tired.  I now need to take a nap every day which is never something I have needed before.  I sleep for between 30 and 45 minutes in an afternoon, and by 9pm I am exhausted and either fall asleep on the sofa or I go to bed.

“I have completely lost my sense of taste and smell.  The doctors have told me that this is probably because I have damaged the back of my brain.  They say that these senses may repair and come back but if I can’t taste or smell after a year, it is unlikely to come back.

“It’s has had a huge impact on me.  I can no longer taste or smell food which has removed the enjoyment from eating.  I wouldn’t be able to tell if something was burning while cooking.

“Surrendering my driving license was very upsetting. I still haven’t been able to come to terms with the limitations imposed upon me by the crash. I become very frustrated and irritable because I cannot do the things I want to do, which in turn makes me feel terrible for taking things out on my family.

“While it can’t undo what has happened, the settlement is a great relief because I know I have the funds for ongoing treatment as well as the ability to concentrate of my rehabilitation rather than worry about the bills.”

Andrea had the day off for work on Tuesday, February 23, 2016 and decided to go shopping. Her last memory of that day was getting into the right hand lane of the roundabout on the approach to the retail park. Police would later determine that she was getting out of her car after parking when she was hit by a car – the force of the impact throwing her up in the air before she landed hard on the asphalt.

She was taken to the Queens Medical Centre in Nottingham by ambulance where she was in intensive care for three days before being transferred to the neurology ward where she remained an in-patient for a further four days.  She struggled with forming memories for a week following her discharge and suffered five weeks of debilitating vertigo meaning she could not sleep lying down.