A North Belfast teen who suffered life-changing injuries after being hit by a Range Rover was only concerned about the driver and her friends when she awoke from an induced coma.
Elizabeth Bates suffered multiple serious and life-threatening injuries after she was hit by the vehicle on the Belfast Road, Holywood, shortly after 9pm on Tuesday, October 26.
Upon arrival at hospital, the 14-year-old Belfast Royal Academy student was rushed into open heart surgery after it was discovered that a number of her main arteries had been badly damaged in the collision.
She also had broken both her legs, multiple bones in her back, her pelvis and shoulder.
Speaking to Belfast Live, her mother Elizabeth Boyd said she and her partner Gary Bates had not left her daughter's side since she arrived in hospital, and described the moment that she woke from her coma.
The teenager did not remember being in a car accident and after she was told, she was very worried about her friends who witnessed it and the driver of the Range Rover feeling it would have been a terrible experience for them.
She said: "When Elizabeth woke from her induced coma the first thing that she spoke about was her concern for the driver of the Range Rover and her friends and how much she worried that they would be ok.
"She couldn't quite remember the collision and what had happened to her, all she wanted to know was how they were doing.
"I was amazed that after everything that had happened to her, her biggest concern was for other people.
"I have heard that the driver of the Range Rover was very distressed about what had happened and I am grateful that they stopped and her friends were able to quickly ring an ambulance for her."
Elizabeth said that her daughter was very lucky that a specialist heart doctor was available in Belfast when she was taken to hospital, as it was feared that she would not be able to make it through a transfer to another hospital.
She said: "When she arrived at hospital it was discovered that she had damaged the main arteries leading to her heart and needed to have urgent surgery.
"Thankfully there was a specialist surgeon available, who is one of the best in the UK, that was able to perform the 15 hour surgery and help her.
"After that it felt like every day we were discovering new injuries that she had suffered, with broken bones in her back and shoulder. We are just grateful that she has not suffered a brain injury.
"The teamwork of the surgeons who treated her, along with the radiologist, orthopaedic nurses and everyone who has helped her has been incredible and we don't know where we would be without them.
"Elizabeth has now been moved from intensive care to the trauma ward but she still has a very long journey ahead of her and we have been told that the rehabilitation could take 18 to 20 months to complete.
"She has been such a warrior throughout all of this and we hope that she will continue to keep battling through this, even though she is in unimaginable pain.
"Due to the Covid restrictions it is only me, her father and little sister Victoria, who are able to visit her and thankfully she has been able to Facetime some of her friends which has given her a real boost because she misses them a lot.
"I would also like to thank everyone who has wished her well so far. We are so grateful and humbled by that support. It has really helped us all knowing that there are so many people wishing her well and keeping her in their prayers."
Elizabeth said that her daughter had been going with friends to the Holywood Train Station, and as they crossed the dual carriageway she was hit by the vehicle.
She continued: "Elizabeth and her friends had been going to the train station and decided to cross the carriageway as they were very worried about using the subway.
"At night time it can often be full of people drinking and doing drugs and they don't like to use it after a certain time due to the potential dangers they could face.
"There needs to be measures put in place in order to make the subway safe at all times of the day and then young people wouldn't feel it is safer to risk crossing the road rather than use it."
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