Experience: I was flung from a moving truck

'The pick-up drove past at running pace and we hopped on the back, standing on the bumper'
nick leonie: flung off a truck
'I now have a scar and a ridge where the titanium plate begins; my head is a different shape from before.' Photograph: Ross Wallace for the guardian/ross wallace

I know what happened to me on 21 August 2011, but only from hearsay. I don't remember anything past the morning, when I drove a few hours north from my home in Perth, Australia – where I'd moved from Scotland three years earlier – to a party at a place called Ledge Point. My then fiancee, Eve, was in Bali, looking at wedding venues.

About 20 of us had met up for a day of fishing, beers and a barbecue. Later in the evening, we all walked the 500 or so metres to a country club where we had more beers. One guy took his pick-up.

At the end of the night, I found myself walking back to the house with a guy I'd met that day. I wasn't stupid drunk, but we'd been drinking all day and were merry in that fearless way. The pick-up drove past at running pace and we hopped on the back, standing on the bumper. There wasn't anything useful to grab hold of, so we clung on to the roof.

If I'd been sober, I know I would have continued to walk the five minutes back to the house, rather than jump on the back. The driver, it turned out, had been drinking heavily. Suddenly he accelerated around a corner and both of us were flung off the back. I can't remember this, but someone in the group shouted, "They're off!" Apparently I had blood coming out of my ear, was confused and agitated, and was trying to get up. The other man was lying on the ground, unresponsive.

Someone called for an ambulance, but the first medics on the scene were unqualified local paramedics with basic training. They radioed for a helicopter but because we were 130km out of Perth, it took an hour to arrive. I later found out that the other man died during the flight.

I was in a coma for two weeks. I had only a minor graze on my shoulder – my head must have taken the full force of my fall. I'd fractured the base of my skull and had an operation to remove a 3cm square piece of bone to relieve the pressure on my brain. But it didn't work, so a week later I had to have the whole of my forehead bone removed. My family and Eve didn't know whether I'd wake up with minimal impairment or need to be in a nursing home. As an emergency doctor herself, Eve found this time incredibly stressful. She barely left my bedside.

My first memories after waking up are of being in rehab. I had to wear a helmet because I had only a layer of skin protecting my brain. I didn't realise how severe my injuries had been, and constantly pleaded with Eve to take me home, getting frustrated and, at times, aggressive when she refused.

I was discharged a month after the accident and had occupational therapy and physiotherapy. I was still wearing the helmet, which made me feel vulnerable. I had headaches, couldn't concentrate, could walk only short distances and had double vision. I went back two months later to have a titanium plate fitted to replace the bone that had been removed. I now have a scar across my head and a ridge where the plate begins; my head is a different shape from before.

It was around this time that Eve and I decided to go ahead with the wedding the following June. Eve has always said that I'm essentially the same person she fell in love with, and there was no doubt she wanted to marry me. The accident has permanently altered our relationship. At first, I blamed her for acting like a doctor and being a spoilsport. We still struggle with this tension, but we're very happy.

I have other lasting effects. I have no sense of smell, I'm not as relaxed as I used to be and I am more short-tempered. But compared with my family, I've had the easier ride. My parents have aged significantly.

I went back to work as a sales director the January after my accident. I probably wasn't as sharp as I was before, but I hated being at home. The company got into difficulties and many jobs were made redundant, including mine. I now talk to businesses and children about my experience.

I'm in touch with only a few friends from that night. We were all affected by it, but try not to reflect on it too much. The driver was found guilty of driving under the influence. He was fined A$1,000 and banned from driving for six months. The accident doesn't feel real to me; the story has been told to me by others, and now I'm retelling it. Only the plate in my head reminds me that it actually happened.

As told to Hannah Booth

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