Drive safely, pleads horror crash survivor Chloe

TEENAGE crash victim Chloe Newby has urged other youngsters to drive safely a year after the smash which killed three of her friends.

Chloe (17), from Mexborough, suffered brain damage, a broken neck, a broken right leg, broken ankles, multiple pelvic fractures, a broken left arm, a torn liver and a collapsed lung when the car she was in hit another head-on just days after last Christmas.

Her boyfriend, Jonathan Scott (17), and two other passengers, Robert Tepper (17) and Lauren Birkett (16), were all killed in the smash, which happened on the outskirts of Mexborough.

Chloe was initially taken to Doncaster Royal Infirmary, but left hospital in February to recover at home.

The health and beauty student said: “I feel lucky that I could be with my family this Christmas but it has been a very difficult time too as it was the first Christmas without Jonathan, Bobby and Lauren.

“I think about them all a lot and it’s still hard to believe they’re not here. They were three of my closest friends and I’ll always miss them.

“The world isn’t the same place without them.

“I feel so lucky to be alive, but at the same time it’s horrible to think they’re not here too.

“I just want to tell everybody to drive safely this winter and at every other time of year. At the end of the day, nothing is as important as your own life and the lives of others.”

Solicitors Irwin Mitchell are now working with Chloe and her family to help them access the necessary funds to help with her rehabilitation.

Her physical recovery has been promising and is almost complete, but she continues to suffer with the terrible memories of the accident.

The driver of the other car involved in the accident is expected to appear in court in connection with the deaths later this year, after the conclusion of the three teenagers’ inquests.