'People Filmed My Dad After A Devastating Crash. It Made Everything So Much Worse'
A young woman has bravely opened up about the traumatic impact of seeing footage of the aftermath of a crash, which involved her dad, after passersby filmed it and posted it on social media.
Eve Thomas, from Hirwaun in South Wales, was 17 at the time. Her father, Nigel Thomas, had been riding a bike when he was hit by a car, leaving him fighting for his life.
After the horrifying incident, people uploaded footage of the crash to social media and hundreds speculated online about her dad and his condition.
“I was on my way home from school when our bus was stopped because of a traffic accident,” Eve recalled.
“I spotted my dad’s bike and I went into complete denial, but I knew it was his bike because I had put the stickers on it. Students on my bus started filming the scene on their phones, which was wrong.”
When Eve got home, her worst fears were confirmed – it was her dad who had been in the accident. She was devastated.
“He was riding home from work when he was hit by a car. He had life-changing injuries, we didn’t know if he was going to make it,” she recalled.
“He spent weeks in an induced coma and nine months in hospital. There were no words to explain how I felt, it didn’t feel real.”
People were speculating and sharing footage on social media
“It was made so much worse because I knew people were sharing what they had filmed and speculating online about what had happened,” said Eve.
“My godmother had seen the story online and called us thinking dad had died.”
The aftermath of the incident, and how it was documented online for all to see, was hugely traumatic for Eve, who is now 25.
“The ways things were filmed and put on social media was a big part of how it all affected me after and a lot of my therapy to help me move on was based around that,” she said.
Her dad, a 65-year-old former delivery driver, is now living at his home where he’s cared for by his daughter.
Eve is now backing a campaign by the South Wales Trauma Network called It’s Not Your Story To Tell, which urges people to think about the human impact of filming accidents and sharing content online, and instead show compassion for victims and their families.
“If I can prevent just one family from experiencing what we went through, then sharing our story will have been worth it,” she said.
Andrea Bradley, operations manager of the South Wales Trauma Network and a senior nurse with extensive trauma experience, said filming at the scene of incidents “has an impact on the emergency services trying to deliver the best care possible in difficult circumstances”.
She added that “it also has a lasting negative experience for our patients and their loved ones”.
Eve concluded: “That person in front of you is someone’s parent, child, or friend. Would you want someone filming your loved one in their most vulnerable moment, or would you want them to call for help?”
Help and support:
- Mind, open Monday to Friday, 9am-6pm on 0300 123 3393.
- Samaritans offers a listening service which is open 24 hours a day, on 116 123 (UK and ROI - this number is FREE to call and will not appear on your phone bill).
- CALM (the Campaign Against Living Miserably) offer a helpline open 5pm-midnight, 365 days a year, on 0800 58 58 58, and a webchat service.
- The Mix is a free support service for people under 25. Call 0808 808 4994 or email help@themix.org.uk
- Rethink Mental Illness offers practical help through its advice line which can be reached on 0808 801 0525 (Monday to Friday 10am-4pm). More info can be found on rethink.org.