Model reveals how she tried to kill herself after drink-driver put her in a ... trends now
A model has revealed how she tried to kill herself when a drink-driver put her in a coma after a head-on collision.
Rachel Downes was involved in the smash on November 21, 2021 while on her way to a photoshoot near her Newcastle-under-Lyme home.
The then 28-year-old had not been expected to survive the crash and despite regaining consciousness, was left with agonising injuries.
The model and part-time fitness instructor said she was in so much pain that just a year after surviving her horror crash, she tried to end her own life.
She said: 'I feel like I've survived twice.'
Rachel Downes was in a coma for three weeks after being hit in a head-on collision by a drink driver outside Newcastle-under-Lyme
Rachel (pictured) recovering from her multiple surgeries with her dog. The model had broken almost every bone in her body and doctors didn't believe she would survive
The model was on her way to a photoshoot early on a Sunday morning when a driver smashed into her.
He had been driving to a fast-food restaurant with some friends, having gone out the night before.
A breathalyser test showed that he had 61 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35.
Rachel said: 'When I found out that I was in this situation due to a drink-driver, I just had this surge of heat rush over my body.
It was a heat that stayed with me for a very long time, because I was so unbelievably angry.'
Rachel was trapped in the crushed vehicle for more than an hour and had to be freed by Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service.
She was taken to Royal Stoke University Hospital where she remained in a coma for three weeks.
Staff at the hospital told Stoke on Trent Live that it was a race against time to stabilise Rachel and assess the extent of her injuries.
Her ordeal was documented on 999: Critical Condition on Channel 5.
Rachel pictured with her partner Matt. She said that she was in so much pain after waking up from a coma that she contemplated taking her own life
Pictred being treated on 999: Critical Condition on Channel 5. Despite successful surgeries, Rachel's life was turned upside down by the drink-driver and she said she was in constant pain
Despite waking up from a coma and slowly recovering from her serious injuries, Rachel found it difficult to process the crash and was in constant pain.
She said: 'When I woke up from the coma, my body felt heavy and I couldn't move much. It's not something you can really imagine unless you've experienced it yourself.'
Around her full-time job, Rachel was also a passionate fitness instructor and, alongside her partner, Matt, she used to go outdoor rock climbing and bouldering.
She said: 'I wanted to be up on my feet right away. I don't think I even questioned why I was in hospital to begin with.
'To this day, I have no idea how I managed it, but I pulled myself up, shuffled myself to the very end of the bed and swung my legs through this gap in the safety bars that were on the side.
'I did manage to launch myself off the bed, but rather than landing on my feet, I landed straight on my face.'
It was only until after an MRI scan that she learned the full extent of the damage that had been done to her body.
She said: 'I asked the surgeon to give me a list of what I'd broken, to which he responded, 'It'd be easier for me to tell you what isn't broken' and then pointed at my shins and said, 'Just these'.'
She had suffered a brain injury and broken the top of her spine, part of her shoulder, her humerus on both sides and her elbow.
She had also broken eight to 12 ribs, shattered her pelvis and broken her knee and right femur, as well as suffering scarring all over her body.
She said: 'I don't remember specifically when I was told for
