A snowboarder had to have her entire pelvis rebuilt after she smashed it when she hit a tree at 55mph.
Amber English, from Missouri, needed a 12-hour operation after her devastating accident in March last year.
She said doctors could find 'no comparison' for her injuries, which also triggered internal bleeding.
Intense rehab for months afterwards has meant Miss English has been able to return to snowboarding and her doctors praised her 'miracle' recovery.
Amber English, 28, was living in Colorado and snowboarding regularly when, one day, she lost control and smashed into a tree at 55mph
Miss English smashed her pelvis and required 12 hours of surgery to rebuild it. She was reliant on a zimmer frame (pictured) for months during her rehab
'High on adrenaline, I threw caution to the wind,' said Miss English, who was staying in Colorado at the time. 'It was my second run through that day.
'I was having so much fun, so I just gave it all I had and went for the best run of my life.
'As I was flying through the trees, I realised I was going too fast and the trees were getting tight. I freaked out and it all happened so fast.
'I hit the tree at an angle, so it was a full blow to my right hip, and there was another tree on the other side. The pain started taking over and I had a hard time comprehending what was going on.'
Miss English said she got wedged standing up between some trees, despite having broken her pelvis in multiple places.
She thought she had been travelling at 30mph but doctors said the extent of the damage looked more like she was going 55mph.
'I didn't have the strength to remain standing and had no other option,' she said.
'I was in a lot of pain for a long time that day but lowering myself to the ground while still strapped to my snowboard was almost unbearable.
'I called my Dad and calmly told him I had hit a tree and was hurt, but hoped it wasn't bad.'
What had been planned as a six-hour operation to rebuild her entire pelvis ended up taking twice as long because her bones were so damaged. Pictured, the metalwork, including screws and plates, put into Miss English's pelvis
After the operation Miss English had to relearn to walk with two weeks of inpatient rehab in hospital and a further eight months after she was discharged
Miss English said her medical report says 'no comparison' when describing the severity of her injuries
It took Miss English around an hour to make it to an ambulance – she had to be transported off the mountain in a sled without pain medication.
When back at the hospital, a CAT scan revealed the extent of the damage she had done, and she said her doctor's face 'turned white'.
'In the simplest of terms, I
