Crash survivor faces long recovery (From News Shopper)

Crash survivor faces long recovery

4:47pm Friday 4th January 2008

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A SURVIVOR of a car crash in which three teenagers died has been told it could be a year before she walks again.

Chloe Dunne, 16, was asleep when the car she was a passenger in collided with a bus in Little Heath, Charlton, on New Year's Day.

Three other teenagers - driver Joe Wallis, 18, of Shooters Hill, Amy Curran, 15, of Sidcup, and Georgina Fox, 16, of Eltham - died in the accident.

But Chloe, who lives in Kidbrooke, as well as a 17-year-old boy who suffered minor injuries, were cut out of the car and survived.

Chloe's aunt, Tina Freeman, said: "Both her legs have plates in, both her wrists are broken, she has glass in her head and has had stitches.

"They hope that she will be able to walk within a year, but emotionally and physically you can't always tell how it's going at this stage.

"It is a bit of a rollercoaster at the moment. Yesterday (Thursday) she was quite well and able to wiggle her toes, and today she has had to have two blood transfusions.

"They had to have bereavement counsellors with her as they weren't sure how she was going to react when she was told about the other girls."

The Peugeot 206 in which the group were travelling was in collision with a bendy bus at around 6am on January 1, but Chloe does not remember the accident.

Mrs Freeman said: "She was asleep when the crash happened so she doesn't remember it, but she does remember, and is very grateful, that a lady was holding her hand throughout it all.

"She and the other girls were very, very close. It is so sad, they were lovely, lovely girls.

"We have had family occasions where the girls have been there so it has hit everybody.

"Of course, at this stage where they were is irrelevant. They had done what they were told, to keep together, to look after each other."

All three girls involved in the crash were pupils at St Thomas More Roman Catholic School, in Eltham.

Mrs Freeman said Chloe's future was unclear after the accident.

She added: "She was looking forward to leaving school in May and going to work but we don't know what the plans will be now as she won't be able to leave school without her qualifications."

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