Op success for holiday crash victim

A Willenhall holidaymaker feared dead after being mown down by a hit-and-run driver in Spain has gone through a successful operation to have part of her skull replaced.

Rebecca Loynes was hit by a taxi in Campoamor, near Alicante, on December 14 last year, knocking her 35 yards down the road in front of her horrified boyfriend Jim Plimmer.

The 26-year-old was clinically dead for more than one minute, but a passer-by managed to resuscitate her and rushed her to hospital, where she has been making a miraculous recovery.

Despite her improvement Rebecca's riskiest moments came earlier this week when she had to have an operation to replace part of her smashed skull at Alicante General Hospital.

It was an anxious wait for her parents, Tony and Michelle, who are now back at their Ravenscroft Road home in Willenhall after being at her bedside in Spain for months.

Michelle said she was glad to hear from her daughter who phoned her up on Sunday to tell her everything had been a success.

Mrs Loynes, aged 50, said: "It was the phone call we were waiting for and it was so good to hear her voice. All we wanted to hear was it was done and it had been a success and it was a very emotional moment for us.

"She has her boyfriend Jim with her and if we need to go back out there we will be there in a flash. We are now just looking forward to her being allowed home."

B&G Locks supervisor and former Willenhall army cadet, Rebecca, has already had to have operations removing part of her skull and rebuilding her shattered arm, as well as being treated for a punctured lung and loss of sight following the accident. Her survival has led to her being nicknamed 'macho miracle' in Spain.