Three years ago, the story of Briton Catrin Pugh shocked the whole world. The girl was then 19 years old and had a terrible car accident when she came to France to practice skiing on the alpine slopes.
The girl was on the bus when she was returning from the Alps. The driver lost control at some point and the bus crashed into a rock and caught fire.
When the girl was rescued from under the burning debris and taken to the hospital, it turned out that 96% of her body had been burned. No one believed that Katherine would survive, or rather, the chances of her survival were estimated at 1000/1, that is, minimal. The bus driver was killed and two other passengers were injured of varying severity.
Now Catherine is 22 years old and many doctors believe that she is the only one in the world who managed to survive after 96% of her body was burned. The girl spent three months in a medical coma, connected to life support devices. She underwent 200 plastic surgeries, and her mother and brother gave the skin for transplantation.
Before the accident
After
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When she came to, she remembered almost nothing and did not understand what had happened to her. She had to re-learn to walk, in addition, her optic nerve was damaged and now she cannot see objects in front of her.
Recently, Catherine Pugh, with the help of her lawyers, received more than £ 1 million ($ 1.2 million) in medical compensation from representatives of the company responsible for her trip. The exact amount of payments has not been announced. Most of this money will go towards the girl's subsequent rehabilitation.
- I remember the feeling of fire, it's hard to describe, - said Katherine in an interview, - and it felt like your body was numb. Later I learned that it was because the fire damaged the nerve endings in the skin. It was like a horror movie. I still remember how they asked me where it hurts the most and I shouted "it hurts everywhere."
Katherine also had to go through a state of post-traumatic stress and learn to hold objects with injured fingers. But losing her eyesight was the worst for her.
- I can't see the faces of people, I can only see something when I move away.
Catherine recently met with former British model, journalist and TV presenter Katie Piper, who suffered severe burns while walking down the street and an unknown man doused her with acid. The attack was ordered by her acquaintance, who had previously harassed the girl and was refused. Both criminals ended up receiving life sentences. Katherine was so inspired by Piper's rehab story that she joined her Piper Foundation.