Mother's horific injuries in death crash

A mother-of-two who suffered horrific injuries in a car crash that killed her best friend now requires 24-hour care.

Kerry Aldridge broke her pelvis, hips, ribs, legs and arm in the crash that killed 20-year-old Terri Bowater from Tipton. The smash happened in Golden Hillock Road, Small Heath, Birmingham, on May 14.

Miss Aldridge, aged 35, has been recovering in Selly Oak Hospital ever since and has already undergone two seven-hour operations.

She was discharged from hospital last week but has been forced to move in with her parents due to the severity of her injuries. She used to live in Tividale, with her two children

Thomas, aged 15, and Monique, 10. Miss Aldridge's sister Cheryl Hadley, aged 38 from Moxley, said: "She is back home now but requires 24-hour care. The nurses are always round there and the whole family is looking after her.

"But everyone is glad she is back home with us, especially her children. She felt cut off from everyone while she was in hospital."

Miss Aldridge was a back-seat passenger in a silver Mitsubishi Lancer that hit a concrete bollard and metal railings on the night of the crash. Miss Bowater, who had ambitions of becoming a carer, was a front-seat passenger and was pronounced dead at Heartlands Hospital. "Kerry is still very upset about Terri's death," Mrs Hadley said. "The emotional scars are just as bad as the physical ones."

Mrs Hadley added her sister would have to undergo more operations and has had pins and metal plates put in her leg and arm.

Miss Bowater's mother Gill paid tribute to her daughter at the time of the crash. She said: "Terri was a bubbly, outgoing person who was loved by her family and friends. She loved her music and dancing. She was a one-of-a-kind daughter, who will be missed."

James Dunne, of Shadowbrook Lane, Solihull, is charged with causing death by dangerous driving and failure to provide a specimen. The 40-year-old has been remanded in custody until a plea and directions hearing at Birmingham Crown Court on August 12.