Chesterfield dad ‘lucky to be alive’ after serious crash speaks out for the first time

Jason Ellis-Fallen suffered a broken and dislocated hip, fractured eye socket and fractured kneecap as well as a broken elbow and ankle when his Kia was hit by a Volvo on Woodthorpe Road, Mastin Moor in November 2017.

He also suffered an abdominal muscle tear when his leg bone was pushed up through his abdomen. His stepson, Logan Ellis-Fallen, who was in the back of his car, needed five weeks off school with an eye injury suffered in the crash.

Jason, 47, who spent seven weeks in hospital, said: “I remember getting dragged out but the pain was so bad I passed out.

"The last three years have been the hardest of my life. The most worrying for me is that the full extent of my injuries is still not known."

The Volvo driver was on the wrong side of the road trying to overtake another car on the brow of a hill. When he saw Jason’s car he tried to pull on to the correct side of the road but hit the other vehicle before colliding head-on with Jason’s car.

The third car involved in the crash, a Toyota, ended up in a hedge.

Jason was transported to Sheffield’s Northern General Hospital where he underwent surgery before he being transferred to Chesterfield Royal Hospital.

Titanium bars with metal screws were inserted into his pelvis and elbow.

Jason, who wanted to train to become a personal trainer before the crash, said: “I just hope that speaking out people realise the damage they can cause by driving dangerously.

"I wouldn’t want anyone to go through what I’ve had to.”

Jason, who is married to Caroline, 41, is still undergoing tests to confirm whether he also suffered a brain injury in the crash.

In 2018 the Volvo driver pleaded guilty to two counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving. He received a 14 month jail term suspended for 24 months, 240 hours’ unpaid work and a six-month curfew.

Jason was speaking publicly about the crash for the first time ahead of Road Safety Week, organised by the charity Brake, which runs from 16-22 November. Law firm Irwin Mitchell continue to support him through his recovery.

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