{"id":296433,"date":"2025-07-27T17:39:18","date_gmt":"2025-07-27T17:39:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/296433\/"},"modified":"2025-07-27T17:39:18","modified_gmt":"2025-07-27T17:39:18","slug":"my-brain-flipped-in-my-skull-as-my-head-smashed-against-the-road-when-a-drunk-driver-ploughed-into-me-then-ran-off","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/296433\/","title":{"rendered":"My brain FLIPPED in my skull as my head smashed against the road when a drunk driver ploughed into me then ran off"},"content":{"rendered":"

JAMES Bradley was waiting for a bus when a car ploughed into him with such force that his brain flipped inside his skull.<\/p>\n

What was just a moment in the drunk-driver\u2019s<\/a> life became a three-year battle to save\u00a0James\u2019 through 10 gruelling surgeries<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Man<\/a><\/p>\n

9<\/p>\n

James Bradley was in a coma for three weeks and had to have half his skull removedCredit: James Bradley\"Headshot<\/a><\/p>\n

9<\/p>\n

James is now writing a book to inspire others who suffer life-altering accidentsCredit: James Bradley\"Man<\/a><\/p>\n

9<\/p>\n

He was struck down in a brutal hit-and-run in Bushey, Hertfordshire, in front of friendsCredit: James Bradley<\/p>\n

James, who was visiting from Dubai<\/a> at the time of the brutal hit-and-run on Bushey High Street, Hertfordshire<\/a>, on Boxing Day 2021, had to completely relearn how to read, write, speak and walk in the wake of his ordeal.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The high-flying project manager, now 37, tells Sun Health<\/a>: \u201cI was just crossing the road and the guy hit me out of nowhere. I was knocked completely unconscious.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe slung me from the right-hand side. I smacked my arm against the windscreen and smashed my head against the floor.<\/p>\n

\u201cI landed right in the middle of the road, and the bus nearly ran me over as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

After stopping down the road just moments after hitting\u00a0James, then 34, the driver fled the scene – leaving his innocent victim helpless on the tarmac.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He says: \u201cMy friends saw me in the middle of the road, then noticed the driver stop and get out of the car. <\/p>\n

\u201cHe started swearing because he\u2019d seen me on the ground.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe he wiped down the steering wheel, then took his possessions and just ran off.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was a pub next door and he ran through the garden and jumped over the fence.\u201d<\/p>\n

James\u00a0says there were drugs and alcohol<\/a> in the vehicle, and the car<\/a> didn\u2019t even belong to him.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I almost died after freak surgery accident AND bus crash, now I’ve won \u00a365k in lottery win<\/p>\n

As\u00a0James\u2019 panic-stricken pals waited for an ambulance to arrive, two heroic nurses, who were held up in the police<\/a> cordon, rushed over to help.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He says: \u201cJodie Bannister and Mary Walsh saw me lying in the road and raced over. <\/p>\n

\u201cJodie got her coat and wrapped me in it.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the way to\u00a0St. Mary’s Hospital<\/a> in London<\/a>,\u00a0James\u2019 heart stopped.<\/p>\n

Thankfully, medics were able to stabilise him in time to deliver him to intensive care.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He adds: \u201cI went straight in to have a CT scan and then immediately into surgery. <\/p>\n

\u201cThey had to cut open my skull to relieve the pressure on my brain.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThey said my brain flipped from one side to the other. The pressure on my brain had moved the actual brain itself.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a><\/p>\n

9<\/p>\n

His family had to call the ICU ward via Zoom as there were coronavirus restrictions in placeCredit: James Bradley\"Two<\/a><\/p>\n

9<\/p>\n

James and his brother Paul on holiday together before the incidentCredit: James Bradley\"Man<\/a><\/p>\n

9<\/p>\n

James’ elbow also shattered into 50 piecesCredit: James Bradley<\/p>\n

James\u2019 elbow was also shattered into 50 pieces, and he had to have sections of his leg and hip removed to help rebuild the joint.\u00a0<\/p>\n

After his life-saving surgery, he was placed into a medical coma<\/a> – one that doctors were unsure if he would ever wake up from.\u00a0<\/p>\n

James\u2019 brother, Paul, says the family would video call the ward every day in the desperate hope for positive change.<\/p>\n

Paul, 40, says: \u201cBack then, we were still dealing with the ramifications of Covid<\/a>, so we had to do a lot of Zoom calls.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery day he was in a coma, we phoned as a family and would say, \u2018Any change?\u2019 and they would say, ‘No’. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe did this for weeks, but it felt like months.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Miraculously,\u00a0James\u00a0defied the doctors\u2019 fears, and he woke up after three and a half weeks – but he’s still got a long way to go. <\/p>\n

\n

It\u2019s one of the best things that\u2019s happened to\u00a0me because now I\u2019ve learned the true aspect of life<\/p>\n

James Bradley<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

James\u00a0says: \u201cI\u2019m still not fully there yet. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve only just finalised my rehabilitation three years after the accident because the injury was on the left side of my brain, which impacts your speech and language.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve had four surgeries on my brain and another four on my elbow. <\/p>\n

\u201cI still have one functional arm and two more surgeries to go, so I\u2019m still not finished.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll probably never be finished, but I\u2019ll always look to move forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

James\u00a0has also developed epilepsy<\/a> and has suffered six severe seizures, one\u00a0of which resulted in his head being re-stitched. <\/p>\n

His memory has also been heavily affected.<\/p>\n

Epilepsy after a brain injury<\/p>\n

EPILEPSY happens when the normal electrical activity in your brain changes.<\/p>\n

It’s thought to be related to genes you inherit from your parents, or to changes in your genes, but it can be caused by brain damage.<\/p>\n

This includes a head injury, stroke or an infection.<\/p>\n

The Epilepsy Foundation says: “When there is a traumatic blow to the head, or a jarring or shaking of the brain, the impact of the brain against the rough edges on the inside of the skull can cause tearing of the coverings of the brain, tissues, and blood vessels that may cause bleeding. <\/p>\n

“The impact can also cause bruising (contusion) and swelling (edema) of the brain. <\/p>\n

“Since the brain is covered by the skull, there is only a small amount of room for it to swell. <\/p>\n

“This causes pressure inside the skull to increase, which can lead to additional widespread brain injury.”<\/p>\n

Epilepsy cannot currently be cured, but treatment can often help manage it, including medication and surgery.<\/p>\n

Source: NHS, Epilepsy Foundation <\/p>\n

After a procedure to add new\u00a0plates under his scalp to replace the missing half of his skull,\u00a0he developed an infection.\u00a0<\/p>\n

James says: \u201cBecause I had my head open, I essentially didn\u2019t have a skull, just skin covering my brain. <\/p>\n

\u201cOn the day\u00a0that the tissue around my metal skull\u00a0got infected, they had to cut muscle out of my face, just above my temple, to get into the actual infection part of my\u00a0skull.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen they do these head surgeries, you have to have half your skull taken out, and you lie in bed with the worst headaches for weeks.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen you come out again and have to rebuild. It was demoralising.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

I was at the bottom of the barrel and felt I had nothing left in my life to live for anymore. I was completely broken.<\/p>\n

James <\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Despite saving his life, the countless operations and the visible damage to\u00a0James\u2019 face and head left him suicidal<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He says: \u201cI was at the bottom of the barrel and felt I had nothing left in my life to live for anymore. I was completely broken.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t want to go outside. I didn\u2019t want people to see me. <\/p>\n

\u201cI hated the way I looked, so I didn\u2019t really want to go\u00a0to the\u00a0gym, but I eventually plucked up the courage to go back.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause I\u2019ve been in hospital for so long, I\u2019ve lost all my muscle. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been trying to rebuild the muscle and get my life back.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Man<\/a><\/p>\n

9<\/p>\n

‘I was at the bottom of the barrel, I was completely broken,’ James saysCredit: James Bradley\"Man<\/a><\/p>\n

9<\/p>\n

He had to re-learn how to walk, talk, read and write after he woke from his comaCredit: James Bradley \"Portrait<\/a><\/p>\n

9<\/p>\n

The high-flying project manager, now 37, says he ‘feels sorry’ for the drink-driverCredit: James Bradley<\/p>\n

Because the years after his accident were a blur of hospital visits, surgeries and rehabilitation, the severity of\u00a0James\u2019 injuries didn\u2019t fully register until he returned to St Mary\u2019s Hospital for a check-up in 2022.\u00a0<\/p>\n

After chatting about his time in the ICU, a doctor suggested he visit the ward\u00a0where he spent weeks in a coma.\u00a0<\/p>\n

When\u00a0James\u00a0walked through the doors and laid eyes on his personal nurse, Rebecca, she struggled to hold back tears.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Paul, a personal trainer, says: \u201cThese nurses have to be ‘on it’, and all they are dealing with is negativity and drama – bad, bad people who are close to death.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cRebecca came out, almost crying, and told\u00a0James, \u2018We never get to see the success stories, we never find out what happens when people leave here’.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe turned around to\u00a0James\u00a0and told him how pleased she was to see him because he was the sickest person on the ward.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that was the moment when it really hit home for\u00a0James.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think until then, the penny hadn\u2019t dropped. In that moment, he realised he\u2019d had a second lease of life.\u201d<\/p>\n

‘Life is so precious’ <\/p>\n

James, who once worked for Exxon Mobil, one of the biggest oil and gas companies in the world, is now writing a book<\/a>.<\/p>\n

He hopes The Will To Survive will inspire others who have experienced life-changing injuries.<\/p>\n

But writing has come with its challenges.\u00a0James\u00a0says he often gets tired after looking at a screen for prolonged periods and sometimes the words don\u2019t flow as easily.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to be able to help other people who have had similar experiences to me,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt will be autobiographical, but will be filled with things I\u2019ve learned in my recovery.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the car didn\u2019t belong to the person driving at the time of the incident, police were never able to charge him.<\/p>\n

For some, the injustice would be almost too much to bear. <\/p>\n

But\u00a0James, who is now waiting to have more surgery on his arm and face,\u00a0takes a vastly different approach and says the crash was one of the \u201cbest things\u201d to have happened to him.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel sorry for him, really,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not saying that anyone should have to nearly die to feel this way, but honestly, it\u2019s one of the best things that\u2019s happened to\u00a0me because now I\u2019ve learned the true aspect of life.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cLife is so precious and it\u2019s completely opened my eyes – especially to how we should treat one another. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not angry towards him anymore, it\u2019s just one of those things you have to get over.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was obviously going through a time where he felt it was OK to leave me. I\u2019ve not got hatred for the guy.\u201d<\/p>\n

How to get help<\/p>\n

EVERY 90 minutes in the UK a life is lost to suicide<\/p>\n

It doesn\u2019t discriminate, touching the lives of people in every corner of society \u2013 from the homeless and unemployed to builders and doctors, reality stars and footballers.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the biggest killer of people under the age of 35, more deadly than cancer and car crashes.<\/p>\n

And men are three times more likely to take their own life than women.<\/p>\n

Yet it\u2019s rarely spoken of, a taboo that threatens to continue its deadly rampage unless we all stop and take notice, now.<\/p>\n

If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"JAMES Bradley was waiting for a bus when a car ploughed into him with such force that his…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":296434,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[105,426,531,257,210,211,460,297,437,213,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-296433","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health","8":"tag-health","9":"tag-health-warnings","10":"tag-hertfordshire","11":"tag-london","12":"tag-mental-health-and-illness","13":"tag-nhs","14":"tag-operations-and-surgery","15":"tag-road-laws","16":"tag-section-healthnews-health","17":"tag-sun-club","18":"tag-uk","19":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114926424806081350","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/296433","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=296433"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/296433\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/296434"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=296433"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=296433"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=296433"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}