Horror crash mother to sue

A mother who almost died when she and her daughter were hit by a car in Stafford is set to sue the driver involved, the Express & Star can reveal.

But before she can take any action, Rebecca Burrows needs to hear from the original witness to the accident, which took place almost a year ago.

Rebecca and five-year-old daughter Catherine, known as Lulu, were crossing Wolverhampton Road after leaving a school carol concert last December when they were struck by a Mitsubishi off-roader. The impact left both with life-threatening injuries.

Catherine spent four months in hospital with serious head injuries, while her mother's pelvis was fractured in seven places and she suffered a badly broken leg.

The driver of the black 4x4 vehicle involved, a 41-year-old man, was arrested at the scene but was later released on police bail and was never charged with any offence.

And Staffordshire Police today confirmed that they will not be taking any further action in the case.

However, Rebecca is now pursuing a claim for personal injury against the driver's insurers.

All the original evidence taken in the case needs to be looked at again but her solicitors have been unable to obtain contact details for the witnesses involved.

The 28-year-old told the Express & Star: "It's a civil case now but until we have all the addresses of the witnesses we can't do anything.

"We've got 12 names but there could be more."

Rebecca said she and her daughter were gradually rebuilding their lives but would live with the after-effects of the accident for years to come. She said: "We're getting there slowly.

"Catherine's back at school - she needs a lot of help but she's walking now without a frame.

"Her memory's coming back each day and her school work's getting better.

"St John's (Catherine's school) have been fantastic and welcomed her back with open arms. It's going to take a long time but she's doing really well."

Rebecca, a former soldier of Wordsworth Avenue, is still suffering from a broken leg as it failed to heal properly after the accident and had to be reset.

She also had to undergo a recent operation to remove scar tissue on her pelvis, and faces the prospect of not being able to have any more children after doctors found the impact of the collision had caused a tear in her womb.

Rebecca's solicitor Susannah Campbell, from Stoke-on-Trent legal firm Grindeys, said she was liaising with the driver's insurers but couldn't say when the case would come to court as the long-term impact of Rebecca and Catherine's injuries was still being assessed.

She added: "We've got the police report and lots of witnesses' names but we've had difficulty getting addresses."

Anyone who was a witness to the accident is urged to call Miss Campbell on 01782 840423.