Mum praises police for rescue

A Gloucester mum who suffered memory loss when her car careered down a 15ft ditch, has praised police who rescued her, by tracking her mobile phone signal.

39 year old Lara Williams, from Tredworth, hit her head on the steering wheel and was trapped semi-conscious after losing control of her Citroen C3 on the A429 in the Cotswolds last September.

The mum-of-two did not know where she was and had severe multiple injuries, but managed to stay calm and phoned Gloucestershire Police to ask for help.

Will East took the call in the control centre and using the available phone masts in the area, was able to get her 'cell site location' down to a 4km circle, the rescue team then worked their way inwards, finding her in the tree-covered ditch between Northleach and Stow.

Listen to the emergency call

To this day, Ms Williams, of Tredworth, Gloucester cannot remember how she came to be there or where she was going.

She had banged her head on the steering wheel, suffered a broken hip, a fractured vertebrae and a broken shoulder. A tree branch had also thrust through the broken windscreen into her head, miraculously causing only a deep cut. 

Lara battled back to health with six weeks of complete bed rest at Cheltenham General Hospital, whose nursing staff she has also praised. She hopes to return to work very soon.

Paying tribute to her rescuers, Ms Williams said: "I feel humbled to know just how epic the scale of the rescue was - and all for me. Will East really kept me going. His tone of voice was so calming and it was his reassurance that stopped me giving up. If it wasn’t for him I really wouldn’t be here now.

"I would like to meet him and say thank you. He made me feel as though I’d known him for ages.

"I don’t recall details of the accident, and it’s only in the last few weeks that I’ve been getting my memory back properly.

"After hearing the tape of my 999 call back again, I think the whole rescue was absolutely phenomenal and the communication was fantastic. I feel lucky – more than lucky really.

"I am slowly getting my strength and confidence back and I am determined to drive again."