A woman who defied the odds by walking again after a car accident is urging others to wear their seat belt.

Ellen Hogan, who was sat in the back, removed her seat belt to reach something on the floor moments before the car hit a tree just outside Woodhall Spa in Lincolnshire in June 2022.

Ms Hogan, then 19, suffered a punctured lung, spinal fracture and a bleed on the brain, leaving her unable to walk or talk.

Now she wants others to learn from her experience after admitting her recovery was something “no one expected, not even my family”.

She said: “I couldn’t look after myself. I couldn’t go upstairs properly. It was really, really bad.

“For the first year I was so down, so depressed and low. I just thought I’m not going to be able to do anything.”

She worked hard on her recovery, begging physiotherapists at Hull Royal Infirmary to see her twice a day.

When she left hospital she moved in with her grandmother because she couldn’t take care of herself.

Ms Hogan, who lives in Lincoln, added: “I’ve come a long, long way. They all thought I’d be in hospital for six months and would have to live in a care home.”

She approached Lincolnshire Road Safety Partnership (LRSP) to offer her experience as a way of educating others about seat belts.

To coincide with road safety charity Brake’s Road Safety Week, which launched today, Ms Hogan has also made a video telling her story to be shown in schools throughout the county.

Nick Matthews, from LRSP, said: “We are very proud of what she has achieved with this video.

“It’s not easy to talk on camera, especially about such a traumatic thing, but Ellen speaks with such honesty and her story is compelling.

“It’s a potentially life-saving message and using Ellen’s voice to reach people, both online and in schools, will really help convey the difference a seat belt makes.”

On average, 651 people are killed or seriously injured nationally each year due to not wearing a seat belt, according to Lincolnshire Police.

If you are caught travelling in a vehicle without wearing one you could be given a fixed penalty notice of £100 on the spot.

Ms Hogan’s advice is: “If you are going to take your belt off, pull over.

“If I was driving, I wouldn’t be here right now and I have been told that by the emergency services.

“I was naive and silly. Big mistake. So please, wear your seat belt.”

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