I was unsure where I was. It was like a hotel, but there were many other
people in the room, mostly in beds also. Sometimes there were two people
sitting with me. Slowly I recognised them, the first became my Mother, and
the second resolved as my girlfriend; sitting sometimes by the side of my
bed. I looked on, not really taking part in the things happening
around me.

In order for you to understand what was happening to me I will have to
take
you on a flashback. At the age of 17 I passed my driving test. In 1989 I
bought my first car, a Vauxhall Chevette P reg! Then in 1991 at the age of
21 I bought a Ford Fiesta XR2 C reg. It cost me £3500. My Mum lent me the
money and in one year I paid it off at £200 a month and more. I also paid
£ 800 for my insurance. Most people want a fast car, and I had mine at
21. I
did drive fast in it, but not like a mad lunatic.

The car took me and my friends to raves in '91 to '94 and I used to travel
to many places in England. The car gained another 80,000 miles on the
clock
while I had it. For a year (two lots of six months) it sat faithfully at
home while I travelled to Goa, India in '94 and '95.

By now it was starting to look a bit dog eared and I spent £3000 of my
savings doing it up (all my savings in fact). It was resprayed, given
a new
powerful engine, new wheels, etc. etc. My trusty fast car had become
very -
very fast, and it was looking good. I got the car into fast ford magazine:
they sent a photographer and journalist. The article covered 4 pages, not
brilliant, but not bad for my old fiesta.

During this time, due to the massive power increase of the engine, along
with a few more tweaks, my driving was becoming much too rapid. One day in
May '98 I was sitting in the car, fiddling with some tweak or other,
thinking about my driving style and wondered to myself: 'Where will it
end?'
-------
It ended in a crumpled shell of a smashed car. It ended when I started to
perceive the world again from my hospital bed.

I have no memory of the accident, but I am told that I tried to drive my
car on the wrong side of the road into another car coming the other
way: in
a foolish bid to pass another slower car on my side of the road. I smashed
my lovely fiesta into two halves. I smashed my head. I was lucky not to be
smashed completely.

Now after thinking over events leading up to the crash: I can remember
thinking that I would not drive so fast that day. The breaks felt a bit
funny and I would take it easy, but I still managed to drive like a fool.
The court thought so too. They prosecuted my for: driving 'without due
care
and attention' gave me six points and a £70 fine (a small fine as I was
unemployed).

I had lost my savings, my lovely car, nearly my life, and because I didn't
injure anyone else I kept my licence. But, boy, had I paid for my stupid
driving.