BMW crash victim ‘very lucky’ to be alive says mother

THE mother of a young man seriously injured in a road accident in Coleraine says he is “very, very, very lucky to be alive.”

Sharon Sheppard says it will take a long time for her son Kinsey to recover from the horrific car crash at Quilly Road which almost claimed his life.

Kinsey (21) was the driver of a yellow M3 BMW which careered into a field and went through several concrete gate posts and a concrete drifting trough on the evening of Friday, August 24.

Kinsey suffered a broken neck and also fractures to his leg, arm, hand and wrists as well as bruising and bleeding to the brain.

He was moved from Causeway Hospital to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast where he remained in a coma for five days.

His mother, Sharon, told the Times: “Kinsey is now out of the coma and making slow progress. It will take him an awful long time to recover.

“He is very, very, very lucky to be alive. He’s now in intensive care at the Royal and they have been brilliant with him, they’re taking great care of him. He’s in a serious condition but stable. He is starting to talk and say a few words now.”

Sharon said that she and her family had kept a bedside vigil and had endured a “terrible weekend” while Kinsey was still in a coma.

“From the Friday to the Sunday it was basically hour to hour. It was terrible,” she said.

Kinsey is from Millburn but lives in Hartford Park in Ballysally with his partner Toni who is expecting their second child any day now. The couple have a two-year-old son, Leo.

Sharon said that the accident happened while the car was being taken a test drive. Two other men, believed to be from the Draperstown area, were also injured in the collision.

She said she had been overwhelmed by the number of calls from family and friends and messages on Facebook.

“I want to thank Coleraine Fire Brigade who cut Kinsey out of the car, they were really brilliant and also the Ambulance crew and police.

“Thanks to Adrian O’Kane who cut the seat belt off Kinsey. There was a lady who gave Kinsey first aid and kept him so, so calm, I really want to thank her. I’d like this lady to come forward so I can thank her personally.

“Thanks also to the staff of Causeway and Royal Victoria Hospital for their care of Kinsey.”