A rider whose thigh bone was broken, femoral artery ruptured and ankle smashed in a car crash that killed her “soul mate” said she is just looking for answers to the horrific incident.
Debbie Taylorson suffered a broken femur, a smashed ankle, broken ribs, sternum and scapula, and a punctured lung in the accident in County Durham on 15 January. Her 20-year-old mare Jay had to be put down at the scene.
“I can cope with the pain,” Debbie told H&H. “What I can’t cope with, I’ve locked in a box and it will stay there for a while.
“What hurts the most – if I’d done that, I’d have been ‘I’m so sorry, what have I done’ but as I lay on the ground, those words weren’t there; not once did I hear the voice of the driver. And two weeks on, he hasn’t contacted me. That hurts from a human point of view.”
Debbie had owned Jay for 12 years, during which they had enjoyed pleasure rides run at endurance events, hacking, and each other’s company.
“She was my best friend,” Debbie said. “She’d been with me through everything; the change, the children leaving home. She was such a gentle soul and so beautiful. I used to talk to her when we were out on our own and she always had one ear on me. Once, she slipped to her knees but she threw me back on and I thought ‘Did she really do that?’ but she did, she took care of me. She was very special.”
On that Sunday, Debbie went out with another rider. They rode down the narrow lane to the T-junction at the end, where as usual, Debbie turned left on to the road, so the traffic coming up the hill could see her, then signalled to turn off that road to the right.
“It’s all a blur but he hit our left side,” she said. “I must have been thrown up, I don’t know if I hit his bonnet or his roof, but when I hit the ground, I felt my thigh blowing up like an airbag. I looked at my foot and it was round the back in an S shape.
“I tried to pick it up but it wouldn’t move. It felt like someone was sitting on my chest, and I could hear cars stopping and people screaming.”
Debbie said she later found out from a friend who works in the paramedic service how close she was to losing her life.
“She said I was bleeding out from my femoral artery and she said if the ambulance had arrived 20 minutes later, I wouldn’t be here,” Debbie said. “I don’t know who was watching over me – an angel – because there was an ambulance travelling on that road and they were with me in minutes. I heard the paramedics say they’d come that way, and that saved my life.”
Debbie underwent surgery on her femur and ankle and was allowed out of hospital on 24 January. She cannot work, and her self-employed husband is not working either so he can look after her for the six weeks, at least, it takes her to regain some mobility.
Debbie added that she wants answers to her many questions about the incident.
“Every morning when I was in hospital, my husband went up there and he said in all weathers, he could see the speed limit signs, and the horse sign,” she said. “We were in full high-vis. I’m always checking weather and conditions, I’ve never taken my life or horse for granted, and I just want some answers.
“All these things are going through my head; how can he live with himself? I’ve had thousands of messages from people passing on their good wishes, complete strangers saying they’ve had similar happen and they want to help. That’s beautiful.”
Debbie said that as she and her husband are unable to work, they are having to use their savings.
“I’m in turmoil at the moment,” she said.
“When I was lying on the road, I kept shouting ‘Where’s Jay, is she ok?’ Everyone was kind of ignoring me, then I went on a mad journey on the ketamine they gave me, which was horrific. They didn’t tell me but I could hear her and smell her. I think she had a compound fracture. They called the vet and my best friend was gone. She went to sleep and I told her I loved her.
“She was such a good girl. I’d always ridden but other people’s or asked someone to lend me a pony, then my husband bought her for me and she was what I’d always wanted. I worked hard to keep her; she had the best I could afford and people used to say how shiny and beautiful she was. She was just beautiful.
“This is going to be a long road to recovery and healing but the outpouring of love and support I have had is keeping me fighting each day.”
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