A STUDLEY woman left paralysed after being hit by a car is appearing in a video for World Day of Remembrance for road traffic victims.
Sheila Vale, assistant principal at St Bede’s Middle School in Redditch, suffered life changing injuries as a result of the crash when she was out walking her dog two years ago.
Her video, introduced by Warwickshire Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Seccombe, is a heartbreaking re-telling of an incident that has left her in a wheelchair.
It ends with the words – ‘could you live with that?’.
During 2020, despite lockdown, 14 people lost their lives in Warwickshire as the result of a road traffic collision and 228 people suffered serious, often life changing injuries.
In 2019, 34 people died on Warwickshire’s roads and a further 281 people were seriously injured.
As part of the World Day of Remembrance, faith and community leaders, individuals and organisations across the country are being asked to remember road traffic victims in their prayers or services this Sunday November 21.
In the video, Sheila says: “You never get into a vehicle thinking: ‘I want to go and run someone over’ but it only takes a split second or a few seconds where you take your eyes off the road.
“As drivers, we’ve all done it.
“We’ve all seen something in the field, or at the side of the road, or a beautiful rainbow that’s just taken our eyes off the road and we’ve lost concentration.
“There’s even times when you will have got home on a regular journey and thought: ‘I don’t remember driving that bit.’
“Concentrate. Focus on the road. The person who hit me took his eyes off the road for eight seconds – which isn’t that long – and he changed my life forever.
“I’m sure it has had an impact on his life too. Could you live with that?”
Mr Seccombe said it was important to never forget the individuals whose lives had been lost.
“The ripple effects of losing someone in a collision are far reaching and affect not only the immediate family but friends, work colleagues and the wider community.
“That’s why we are asking the public to stop and think for a moment on November 21 about the number of people who needlessly die or are seriously injured every year on our roads.
“We want people to stop and reflect on their own use of the roads and how we can all contribute to making them safer by being better road users.”
To see Sheila’s video visit www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWk40vf5cF4
