A Wirral nurse who suffered life-changing injuries after she was crushed between two cars has praised the hospital staff who have helped her recovery.

Ruby Flanagan was shopping at Bidston Moss Retail Park on August 16 last year when she was involved in a serious road traffic accident.

She was carrying her baby boy, Leon, across the zebra crossing by Aldi when she was caught between a silver Mercedes and a blue Volkswagen.

Despite managing to throw Leon out of the way in time, Ruby, who is a nurse at Arrowe Park, was seriously injured and had to be airlifted to Aintree Hospital where she had her right leg amputated.

The 25-year-old, from Wallasey, returned to the Major Trauma Centre (MTC) at Aintree, to meet staff as the centre celebrates its 10th anniversary.

Due to the severity of her injuries, Ruby was brought to the MTC for emergency surgery to amputate her right leg and have her pelvis and left leg reconstructed.

Ruby (pictured below with son Leon) had nine operations during her 13 week stay in hospital.

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She said: "It was horrible to be on the other side – I am so used to being the one providing care, so to be a patient was so difficult.

"From the moment I was brought in, all of the staff at the Major Trauma Centre were amazing, going above and beyond for me.

"I really felt like I was part of a family, part of the team."

The Major Trauma Centre is the regional centre for Cheshire, Merseyside and the Isle of Man.

A partnership between Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (which runs Aintree University Hospital) and The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust, since opening in June 2012, more than 11,160 patients admitted via the Aintree Emergency Department received a ‘Trauma Team Activation’, with many more patients also receiving expert care from the highly experienced and specialist staff at both Trusts.

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Ruby, pictured above with hospital staff. Picture: Connor Moore

Ben Fischer, consultant orthopaedic surgeon said: "When you have a life-changing injury that requires multiple operations, every second counts.

"At the Major Trauma Centre we are set up so that patients like Ruby can come straight here and receive the urgent care they need.

"Having an expert multi-disciplinary team makes a real difference to our patients' care.

"It's this teamwork that gives patients their best chance of recovery and we’re incredibly proud of the exceptional lifesaving care we have and will continue to provide.”

For Ruby (pictured, below, during her time in hospital), the expert care at the MTC was pivotal to her recovery, both physically and mentally.

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She said: "Being there for three months I naturally grew so close to everyone, and I think that really helped me on my road to recovery as they pushed me to do more, to get better.

"It felt like a safety net, knowing I could be looked after by these amazing people."

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Ruby

Dr Róisín Cunningham, consultant clinical psychologist at Liverpool University Hospitals, says psychological support is crucial for recovery as there are a number of traumatic circumstances in which patients may need support.

She said: "From a psychological point of view there can be huge adjustments that need to be made which require tremendous strength and resilience.

"We’re helping people to adjust to loss and change and we want patients to leave therapy believing in themselves.

"I'm continually amazed by patients like Ruby and what they can achieve and cope with. It’s about reaching a positive balance of motivation to move forward, but also acknowledging loss and allowing yourself to process what you may have experienced, especially for someone like Ruby, who had a particularly traumatic experience."

In 2017, the hospital’s £1m helipad, funded by the HELP Appeal, was also opened – meaning trauma patients flown in via air ambulance could land directly outside the MTC, which means patients can be transferred into the hospital in a matter of minutes.

Air ambulances previously had to land on a nearby playing field and patients were then transferred by ambulance, which could take up to half an hour.

During her hospital stay, Ruby and her family were also supported by Day One Trauma Support, a national charity which provides patients at the MTC with practical, emotional, and financial support.

The Trust partnered with the charity in 2021, and Ruby was one of the first people to benefit from their support and advice.

Ruby has been continuing her rehabilitation at STEPS, a dedicated residential facility in Sheffield, and hopes by the end of July she will be able to have the stabilising cage around her left leg and the bar in her pelvis removed.

She is looking forward to getting her life back on track and making new memories with son Leon.

She said: "There’s too many people to thank, but everyone from the public on the day of the accident, North West Air Ambulance and North West Ambulance Service, to staff at the MTC and Day One Trauma Support, they have helped me so much.

"I've blocked a lot of the accident out.

"It was so traumatic – I can't describe how it felt – but by the end of my three months in hospital I felt ready to leave and continue my rehabilitation thanks to all the staff at Aintree.

"Each week there's a new thing I want to work on, whether it's walking up and down the stairs with the baby or pushing myself to do something new.

"I feel like I am coming out the other side now."