From crash survivor to TikTok storyteller - The 32-year-old hero who is encouraging road safety through her own tragic tales

Best friends Harriet Barnsley and Rebecca McManus were stood at a bus stop on the Hagley Road in Birmingham, near Bearwood on the evening of May 31, 2014, making their way to a hen do together ahead of a wedding they were both due to be bridesmaids for.

While they were waiting for the bus, a car driven by Sukvinder Mannan at 101mph lost control as it turned the corner and smashed into the bus shelter where the two 21-year-olds were standing.

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Rebecca, from Oldbury, died at the scene. She had attended King Edward VI College in Stourbridge where she achieved four A Levels – two at A* and two at grade A – before enrolling with the University of East Anglia in Norwich for an English literature with creative writing degree course.

Harriet spent three months in a coma after the horrific crash, endured over 50 hours of life-saving operations and reconstructive surgery but lost the use of her left foot forever.

"We bounced off the car three times and were thrown 50 metres into the park behind the bus stop," Harriet told BBC Midlands Today. "I was in a coma for four weeks. My parents were told I may not survive," the 32-year-old said.

"There were lots of touch and go points where I could have died. I woke up and I felt like an 80-year-old in a 21-year-old's body.

"It just feels like hard work and it's what I have to contend with all the while."

Now 32, Harriet  has begun making TikTok videos about the impact the crash had on her life, her grief for her friend, and issues regarding road safety, as well as writing an autobiography called Thrown - referencing how her body was thrown during the crash, and how her life was thrown off-course. 

Her account '@hazzzzab' has over 6,000 followers on the social media site, with one video posted on Tuesday, August 26 racking up over 270,000 views.

"Out of all the videos I've done, the most impactful are just telling the story," she said. "People just get really angry. Such strong reactions that I don't get from just saying road safety is important."

The importance of road safety is still an important message for Harriet, who wonders if driverless cars would limit the number of drunk drivers, or if cars could be manufactured so they cannot go significantly over the speed limit.

She also believes speeding tickets and licence points should be taken more seriously by drivers.

"People are seeing tickets as inconveniences rather than reminders for people's safety," she said. "Bec wouldn't want me to sit down and cry about her dying and never get back up. That's why I want to share my story."

Sukvinder Mannan, who lived in Romsley near Halesowen at the time, had been racing another driver and reaching speeds of up to 100mph before losing control of the vehicle.

In December 2015, Mannan appeared before Wolverhampton Crown Court where he was jailed for eight years and banned from driving for 10 years.

He had pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and causing serious injury by dangerous driving, but was released in 2019 after serving half his sentence.

On February 15, 2024, Central Motorway Police Group officers followed Mannan as he drove a Mercedes on Rubery Lane, Rubery, after receiving information to suggest a disqualified driver was behind the wheel. 

The car was pulled over by police when they spotted him driving through a red light and Mannan was confirmed he was disqualified from driving until February 23, 2025.

He was arrested and taken into custody. During a police interview, Mannan said he was using the vehicle to travel to work for a couple of months.

In addition to confirming he knew he was still disqualified, he also admitted to not having any insurance for the vehicle.

Mannan appeared before Birmingham Magistrates Court on February 16, 2024 where he was jailed for 12 weeks and banned from driving for a further 770 days, after pleading guilty to the offences of driving while disqualified, having no insurance and failing to comply with a red traffic light.