Scooter crash in India left student in coma and unable to remember her own name
A student who suffered brain damage as a result of a scooter accident at the end of a dream trip in India had to fight for his life.
While 21-year-old Olivia North was in a coma, her family was making plans to welcome her on the plane upon her return to England.
But after not hearing from him for two days, father Nic frantically searched the hostels where he was staying before placing him in the intensive care unit of a Goa hospital.
Olivia was initially unable to remember some family members or her own name, but a month on from the crash on May 5, she is preparing to fly home to continue her recovery in Wales.
Describing every father’s nightmare, Nic said: “When I couldn’t reach him on the other side of the world I was frantically trying to contact everyone who knew him.
“Then I flew away with my stomach in knots, not knowing if he would recognize me. It was so nice to see him alive and hug him.”
According to her father, Olivia still suffers from profound fatigue and is unable to walk more than 100 meters (328 ft) before “curling up and sleeping for the rest of the day”.
But doctors gave him permission to return to England at the weekend and continue his recovery at home in Cardiff.
It was a sad end to a journey of a lifetime [Nic North]
Olivia had just completed her second year of studying Media and Communications at Goldsmiths, University of London, and decided to take a break from her studies before completing her final year.
After working in bars and restaurants to save money, he went to India just after Christmas.
His adventure in the South Asian country took him north to Rishikesh, the ancient temple towns of Pushkar and Hampi, and India’s largest city, Mumbai.
Olivia then decided to relax for a bit on the beaches of Goa before flying home.
“The night before he came back we were all getting ready to meet him in London so he went to dinner with his friends,” Nic added.
He said that while he was riding the scooter back to where he was staying, he “hit his head on the road or the wall and lost consciousness.”
“He wasn’t wearing a helmet, which is absolutely stupid. “If anything comes of this, I want every kid on his gap year to be wearing a helmet.
“This is indisputable, it’s a fight for survival on these roads, scooters are jostling everywhere.”
Nic praises doctors who saved Olivia’s life, but it’s unclear how she was taken to hospital after the crash [Nic North]
This was when all communication with his family was cut off and Nic described the panic created by phoning friends and places he had visited and stayed in Goa to get information about his whereabouts and what had happened.
He found the hostel where Olivia was staying in the Arambol area and the owner established that she had met with an accident and was admitted to a hospital in south Goa just after midnight on May 5.
Nic searched around, fearful of the information he would receive, before finding the place where Olivia was receiving treatment.
“They said he was in a coma and connected me to ITU.” [intensive care] ward. “Olivia was in a coma and was treated there for 36 hours,” he added.
“He started to regain consciousness before falling into a coma again. There was a 3.6 mm hemorrhage in his brain; that was the scary part.
“They told me if it didn’t resolve they would have to drill into his skull and they would do that search in two days.”
Nic and Olivia’s 19-year-old sister Beatrice flew to India on the earliest possible flight but were unsure which state to find her in.
Luckily, the medications reduced the bleeding and there was no need for brain surgery.
“When we went there four days later on Saturday, he didn’t know his own name,” his father said.
“But he recognized us and we hugged in tears for a very long time.”
Nic praised the doctors at the hospital who treated Olivia but said they faced a difficult task due to the number of patients [Nic North]
Olivia had extensive bruising and MRI scans revealed a serious injury to the left temporal lobe, the part of the brain responsible for storing memories, and the cerebellum, which controls orientation and balance.
While she recognized Nic and Beatrice, she thought her brother Sam was her uncle and did not remember her beloved dog Raj, who died just before Christmas.
“He couldn’t remember where he grew up, near Cardigan, what school he went to, his teachers, it was so sad,” Nic said.
“He’ll probably come back. He’s started coming back in the last week or so. On his side, he’s young and incredibly tough.”
Although Olivia was not fit for discharge, Nic explained that people with floppy limbs were brought in who he believed were more in need of intensive care beds.
“The hospital absolutely saved his life, he was stable to begin with,” he said, adding that he would “always be grateful.”
After the accident, Olivia’s memories slowly return [Nic North]
Nic’s only knowledge of Olivia’s condition was through the use of Google searches.
He lodged her in a hotel in Goa, where she received treatment and medication from a private medical facility.
On the second night after discharge, Olivia collapsed due to dehydration and was taken back to the hospital.
But he’s getting better with each passing week, as he has very little memory of his past life and can no longer do simple things he once considered normal, like using a cell phone.
“The journey will be the equivalent of running a marathon – getting out of bed and onto the couch is exhausting,” Nic said.
“He has no memory of what happened, it’s just that over the last few days he’s started to remember what happened yesterday.”
But according to Olivia’s neurologist, this is pretty normal for brain injuries.
Olivia was traveling around India when the accident happened [Nic North]
At first doctors were worried that cabin pressure might cause a blood vessel to burst, but they have now cleared Olivia to fly home.
Nic is looking forward to seeing her back in her own bedroom, where he hopes the familiarity and care from NHS Wales will further speed her recovery.
Although Olivia had travel insurance, the fact that she was not wearing a helmet at the time of the accident meant she could not claim compensation.
The cost of private healthcare and getting him home is around £20,000, but friends and family have come together to raise almost £12,000 so far.
Olivia remembers more and more aspects of her life in the UK – but some of her father’s questions prove more difficult than others.
“Memories are starting to come back,” Nic said.
“‘Who is the Prime Minister?’ I asked.
“He looked at me blankly and said, ‘I probably wouldn’t have known that before the accident.'”
