IT may look like any other bustling Bedminster street – a busy high street pub, with shoppers filing past; but for the family of Beverley Cousins, this corner of Bristol will always be bleakly overshadowed as the place where her life was changed forever.
The young trainee beautician was attacked by a drink and drug-crazed driver, who chose to use his car as a weapon – ploughing into the group of friends standing on the pavement, and leaving Beverley with devastating injuries that would lead to her having a leg amputated.
It was a senseless attack not just on an innocent group of bystanders, but also on their families, who would have to live with the trauma.
Now the triplet brother of 26-year-old Beverley has spoken for the first time of the "unbelievable trauma" his family has been through.
It has left Beverley a "shadow of her former self", and both she and her brother Paul are still too upset to be photographed.
Drink-and-drug fuelled driver Luke Julius had been out all night with the group last September and had fallen out with them. The next day he climbed into his Peugeot 206 and drove at them outside the Robert Fitzharding pub in Bedminster.
Though two of the friends, Nathan Ranklyn and Lisa-Marie Davies jumped out of the way, Julius crushed Beverley Cousins against the pub wall.
As the 25-year-old, of Lynton Road, Bedminster, was sentenced to 12 years behind bars earlier this year, Bristol Crown Court heard how the trauma had left the trainee beautician with "catastrophic, life-changing injuries which transformed her from a confident girl to someone who prefers not to look in a mirror".
Now Beverley's brother, Paul, is planning a charity auction night in aid of the Frenchay trauma unit and the Bristol Royal Infirmary's physiotherapy department – which he says have both shown his sister "an incredible level of care".
"For me organising this charity night is something constructive that I can do in what can sometimes feel like a hopeless situation.
"As a brother, especially a triplet, you grow up wanting to always protect your sister," the 26-year-old from Knowle Park said. "But I wasn't able to protect Beverley on that dreadful day in September when this happened.
"I just got a call at work from the police, telling me what had happened, and I rushed down to Frenchay, not knowing whether Bev was going to even survive.
"It has been a horribly traumatic time for the whole family. But we have tried to keep it together, and we've all simply tried to always be there to support Bev as she comes to terms with her injuries.
"It's not just the physical injuries she has to overcome, it is also about coming to terms with the emotional aspect – knowing that somebody has done this to you.
"But she is progressing well, and is doing brilliantly. Eventually she may even be able to get back to studying to become a beautician at City of Bristol College.
"She has had such a tremendous level of support from all the medical staff over the months, that's why I wanted to try to raise some money for their departments, as a way of trying to say thank you."
Mr Cousins, who works in events planning at the Aztec Hotel & Spa, will hold the charity auction for an invited audience at the hotel on July 13.
"We're now looking to find local businesses who are willing to come forward with auction prizes, to help make the evening a success," he says.
Hugh Thompson, director of fundraising and marketing at Above & Beyond the charity raising funds for all Bristol's central hospitals, including the BRI, said: "We could not make the difference we do in our hospitals without the support of inspirational local people like Paul who want to say thank you for the care they or a loved one has received, by fundraising to help make a real difference to patients in our city in the future."
● If you can help, call Mr Cousins on 07901 561681 or email him on cousins15@hotmail.co.uk
cheapest car insurance compare water damage fort lauderdale setting up an airport network
No comments:
Post a Comment