Alexandra Hills crash: Sole survivor of Australia Day crash that killed Kate Leadbetter and Matthew Field in Brisbane breaks her silence
The sole survivor of a catastrophic crash that killed a young couple and their unborn baby has revealed she is still undergoing operations almost three years later.
The Brisbane mother was stopped at traffic lights when a stolen car driven by a drunk 17-year-old ran a red light and crashed into her in Alexandra Hills on January 26, 2021.
The car also hit Matthew Field and his pregnant partner Kate Leadbetter, who were walking their dogs at the time. The couple and their unborn son were killed.
The teenage driver was sentenced to up to 10 years behind bars after pleading guilty to manslaughter and several other charges.
The lone survivor has spoken for the first time about the fateful night that changed her life forever.
The sole surviving victim of the 2021 Brisbane crash that killed a couple and their unborn son has revealed she is still undergoing surgeries to deal with her injuries (Photo: Electrical wires attached to woman’s spine to intercept pain signals)
“I went from being a happy, reasonably healthy mother, who was very hands-on, to not being able to pick up my child, to dropping things, forgetting things,” she said Nine news.
The woman, now 35, suffered horrific back injuries and this week underwent surgery to attach electrical wires to her spine.
The wires are connected to a device that uses electrical pulses to intercept pain signals before they reach her brain.
However, there is no guarantee that the procedure will work.
“I have nerve damage on the right side of my body and damage to my spine in three places,” the mother added.
“It’s been almost three years and I’m in the middle of surgery number four on my back.
“From what I understand, if I had been a few inches further, I wouldn’t have survived just because of the speed of the impact.”
Matthew Field and Kate Leadbetter (pictured above) from Brisbane were walking their dogs when a 17-year-old ran a red light in a stolen car and hit them
The sole survivor of the crash (pictured in conversation with Nine News) went from being a hands-on mother who was unable to pick up her child
Due to the ‘constant pain’, the mother has difficulty coming to work some days.
She estimates that medical bills and loss of income due to the crash have cost her at least $40,000.
“It’s really unfair and I hate to say that because compared to families losing their children… it’s not fair,” she said.
The Australia Day crash was shortly followed by another, which killed 22-year-old Jennifer Boardless from Townsville a fortnight later.
Christopher Hughes, the man who drove the car that killed her and was sentenced to 12 years in prison on Friday, chased a group of teenagers in a stolen car.
Four deaths in a fortnight in early 2021 led Queenslanders to call for tougher laws on youth crime.
The government has since introduced a series of new laws for young criminals, including a presumption of bail for repeat offenders and the use of ankle bracelets for some offenders.
Matthew Field was murdered along with his partner Kate Leadbetter, who was 24 weeks pregnant at the time. Their unborn son was also killed