- Sam Fretwell was wearing a seatbelt during the accident in May last year
- Force of the impact sent his face into the steering wheel, 'breaking it in half'
- He needed reconstructed eye sockets, metal plates fitted in his face and was was blind in one eye
- Has now made a remarkable recovery and has started his own car business
Sam Fretwell, 22, was involved in a 50mph car crash. He said: 'When I hit my head on the steering wheel, it knocked me out straight away but I am told I had crushed my nose, which had slipped down about two inches and the cartilage had burst out of my skin. I had smashed my face to bits'
A man has survived a horrific car crash which left him with 42 fractures in his face - after it smashed into the steering wheel.
Sam Fretwell needed reconstructed eye sockets, was left blind in one eye and needed metal plates fitted in his face.
Mr Fretwell , 22, from Eakring, Nottinghamshire, was driving on the A614 in May last year when he was involved in a 50mph collision with another car while wearing a seatbelt.
Mr Fretwell was driving on the A614 when a car came from a side junction and smashed into him at 50mph. He was rushed by air ambulance to Nottingham University Hospital, where he underwent 13-hour reconstructive surgery to piece his face back together
The force of the impact sent Mr Fretwell’s face into the steering wheel effectively breaking it in half.
He was left with life threatening injuries and was rushed by air ambulance to Nottingham University Hospital, where he underwent life-saving operations and 13-hour reconstructive surgery to piece his face back together.
Mr Fretwell said: ‘When I hit my head on the steering wheel, it knocked me out straight away but I am told I had crushed my nose, which had slipped down about two inches and the cartilage had burst out of my skin.
‘I had smashed my face to bits.
‘My left cheek had turned to cornflakes and my eye sockets on both sides had to be replaced with wire meshing and from my jaw joints to my cheekbones is now titanium plating.
‘My ear also had to be sewn back on.’
Mr Fretwell said: ‘My left cheek had turned to cornflakes and my eye sockets on both sides had to be replaced with wire meshing.' Left image shows his smashed face, the right his jaw after the accident, before the operation
Wired up: The metal inside Sam's mouth after the operation. Both sides had to be replaced with wire meshing and from my jaw joints to my cheekbones is now titanium plating.
Luck was on Mr Fretwell’s side as the fellow motorists who came to his aid were a retired traffic police officer, a former navy officer and a GP.
He said: ‘I was so lucky they were there to call for help, I remember lying on my back in the side of the road unable to do anything.’
Mr Fretwell has praised the work of the air ambulance, and credits their swift work to saving his life.
He said: ‘The only thing I remember from being in the air ambulance is the estimated time of arrival which was seven minutes.
‘If we had been going by road it would have taken another hour on top of that to get to the hospital. It saved my life.’
Mr Fretwell was treated at the Queen’s Medical Centre, Nottingham, for his injuries which included a broken sternum, a punctured lung, blindness in one eye and 42 fractures in his face.
The metal inside Mr Fretwell's mouth after the operation. He was Mr treated at the Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham, for his injuries which included a broken sternum, a punctured lung, blindness in one eye and 42 fractures in his face
During the life saving operation and reconstructive surgery, Mr Fretwell had to have his throat cut open and a tube placed in his windpipe to help him breathe
He said: ‘Once I was out of the woods, the doctors told my dad, Tim, that they didn’t think I was going to make it.
‘There was a big slice in the side of my head and my ear had been ripped off but lucky they managed to sew it back on in the 13 hour operation.’
For four months Mr Fretwell’s jaw was wired shut as his top jaw and roof of his mouth had been broken in three places.
During the life saving operation and reconstructive surgery, Mr Fretwell had to have his throat cut open and a tube placed in his windpipe to help him breathe, which they did while he was still awake.
He said: ‘I remember lying on the table and seeing the surgeon’s scalpel cut open my throat, which was very odd.
‘I was very nervous driving again but I knew I had to do it. I was a good driver before my accident and I just wanted to get my life back to normal as soon as possible.
‘I actually had to drive down the same road where I had my accident, which was awful and to make matters worse, a car pulled out in front of me at exactly the same junction I had my accident.
‘I was driving very cautiously so managed to break in time, but I honestly had to pull over and let it out, because I was so stressed out and upset, it was like deja vu of my accident all over again.’
Mr Fretwell is still recovering and going to physiotherapy and he has injured his brain from the accident which means his short term memory is much worse.
But after just over a year since his potentially fatal crash, he has made a miraculous recovery and is fighting fit- he has even fulfilled his dream of starting his own business by opening up car business.
But after just over a year since his potentially fatal crash, he has made a miraculous recovery and is fighting fit- he has even fulfilled his dream of starting his own business by opening up car business
‘All I have ever wanted to do is buy and sell vintage cars - it has always been a passion of mine,’ he said.
‘I have always been a car enthusiast and I love classic sports cars.
‘It took me a while to adjust properly to driving again, especially as now I have lost my sight in one eye. But there was nothing that was going to stop me fulfilling my dream.
‘Even though I nearly died in the car accident, I love driving and being around cars and I have so much support to get to this stage.
‘But I know I am so lucky to have survived- I’m just determined to live life to the fullest from now.’
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