Winchester woman marks anniversary of accident by walking for air ambulance charity

Zoe Robertson. PHOTO: Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance

Submitted by Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance

A Winchester woman has marked the tenth anniversary of her life-changing accident by taking part in a 27-mile walk to raise money for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance.

Zoe Robertson will be setting off on a marathon-distance walk from her Winchester house to the University Hospital Southampton, where she was airlifted to 10 years ago, on the day of her accident.

Zoe will be joined by her fiancée, Kath, for the walk.

As she was driving along the M3 by Winchester Services on February 11, 2012, Zoe’s rear tyre blew, causing her to lose control of the vehicle and roll several times into a ditch.

When paramedics arrived on scene, they quickly realised Zoe needed to be treated by the air ambulance team.

Zoe was stabilised by the team and flown to University Hospital Southampton where she spent the next 24 hours in the Neurological Intensive Care Unit and a further six weeks recovering in hospital.

Zoe said: “I was completely alone and I have no recollection of the accident. I had a traumatic brain injury, which led to a bleed on the centre of my brain, a badly fractured pelvis and several broken ribs.

"After my stay in hospital, I got to come home to my wonderful daughters. I have Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance to thank for that.”

Zoe initially suffered from post-traumatic amnesia, she said: “I didn’t know what year it was, what country I was in or who the Prime Minister was.

"While it has obviously improved over time, my nickname is 'Dory' – from Finding Nemo – as I get distracted easily and can be forgetful.”

Since her accident in 2012, Zoe has thrown herself out of plane on a 10,000ft skydive and has abseiled down the Spinnaker Tower, in Portsmouth, to raise money for the air ambulance charity.

She added: “Though I can never repay them for what they did for me that day, I will always try to raise as much money for them as I can.

"They are my heroes. If people would consider donating to this incredible charity, I would be so grateful.”

To support Zoe on her 27-mile walk, visit her JustGiving page here.

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