Victims’ voices: Ayeesha

Ayeesha, Annum and Saarah were heading home to Bradford after a weekend in London. She remembers being in a happy mood after spending time together.

Their car was in the slow lane as they headed north on the motorway. It was dark and there were very few other vehicles around. Suddenly, Ayeesha saw bright lights in her rear-view mirror. Before she had time to react, their car was spinning out of control. She doesn’t remember the impact, she just remembers seeing white lights and red lights as the car span until it hit the central reservation and came to a stop.

She tried to open the door to get herself out but her hand was broken badly. Annum was unconscious in the front passenger seat and Saarah was trapped in the rear of the car, which was very badly damaged.

Ayeesha was helped out of the car by a passer-by. She was put in the front of a car parked on the side of the road, and from there she could see paramedics treating Saarah. She says she remembers feeling a bit relieved and thinking “They’ve got her, she’s ok, they’re taking her in the ambulance, it’s fine!”

Saarah had multiple fractures and a severe head injury. She died in hospital from her head injury five days after the crash. Annum had serious internal injuries but survived.

Ayeesha had broken her wrist in several places and the nerves in her arm were badly damaged. She has had two operations since the crash but lives with chronic pain and will be on medication for the rest of her life to help with this.

After the crash, Ayeesha became very withdrawn and anxious. In hindsight, she realises she was blocking everything in. Two years after the crash, she reached out to Brake for support.

“I felt something was missing. It’s one of those situations where if you haven’t ever been in a crash, you don’t understand what someone is going through. That was really difficult for me to overcome.

“When I came in contact with Brake, it just made sense. Everything they were saying was ticking in my brain, saying ‘This is the support that I need. I’m finally speaking to someone who understands what I am going through.’

“It was very daunting because I didn’t know what to say, or how to say it, but the lady on the phone just made me feel so comfortable. I could let my guard down. I told her exactly what had happened, and within a week she had arranged for me to speak to a therapist, who was amazing!

“Brake helped me with skills, resources and breathing techniques to use if I start to feel anxious. They helped me understand how to take a step back and look at the situation. I now know that it’s ok to have a bad day.”