Newport survivor was left hanging suspended in wreckage for 2 days & is unrecognisable from car crash injures, mum says
HORROR crash survivor Sophie Russon is “unrecognisable” from injuries and is under sedation after panic attacks in hospital, her distraught mum told The Sun last night.
Bank worker Sophie, 20, is recovering from life-saving surgery after suffering a fractured skull and bleed to the brain in the smash near Cardiff which killed three pals.
Her mum Anna Cerowicz, 41, is keeping a vigil at her hospital bedside as she struggles to come to terms with the horrific accident.
Anna from Newport, said: “She doesn’t know where she is or what happened.
“She had panic attacks throughout the night when she came round so they sedated her.
“She’s in shock and has a lot of injuries. You can’t recognise her.”
Mum-of-three Anna said Sophie must have been “petrified” lying trapped in the car which went off the road on the A48 near Cardiff.
Friends Eve Smith, 21, and Darcy Ross, 21, were found dead along with Rafel Jeanne, 24, and police believe just one vehicle was involved when it crashed off the busy dual carriageway in St Mellons, Cardiff.
Sophie and Shane Loughlin, 32, were still alive and found badly injured in the wreckage next to their dead friends.
Both are being treated at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff.
Sophie’s mum revealed: “She was in the car with bodies all around her, that’s a lot for anybody.
“She was in a small space, cold, scared stiff and not able to reach her mobile phone.”
Anna believes Sophie suffered burns from her seatbelt and was left hanging suspended in the car which landed front first at a steep angle in trees.
She said: “There’s no words to describe it. I can’t imagine how long it’s going to take for her to get over this. She’s going to need a lot of support.
“I’m heartbroken for the families of Eve and Darcy. They’ve lost a child at the end of the day, I nearly lost mine.”
Anna questioned how officers on the ground and a police helicopter from the National Police Air Service failed to spot the car.
She said: “Policemen on foot had searched the area but didn’t find anything.
“It was on a main road, next to a roundabout and opposite a garden centre. It doesn’t make sense.”
She added: “When I got to the scene of the crash there were 40 officers there.
“Where were they on Saturday when I first reported Sophie missing?”
Anna has been left wondering if the three who died could have been saved if they had been reached sooner.
She said: “The police told me they died on impact but the only people who will know that are Sophie and Shane. They are the only witnesses.”
“I’m heartbroken for the families of Eve and Darcy. They’ve lost a child at the end of the day, I nearly lost mine.”
Anna Cerowicz, Sophie's mum
Last night South Wales police confirmed more than 46 hours had passed between the group’s last sighting and their wrecked car being found.
A window cleaner who found the wreckage with his son after searching for 15 minutes blasted the cops for not finding them sooner.
Matthew Pace, 45, went looking with son Lewis, 26, a friend or Rafel, and spotted tyre tracks leading from the St Mellons roundabout before alerting police.
He said: “The police took over so luckily I didn’t actually have to see the wreckage.
“If they were found sooner, maybe there would be better news.
“I would have thought the police would have been looking from the moment they were reported missing on Saturday.”
Lewis said he and Rafel were “best mates” and had last spoken to him on Thursday night.
He added: “I’m devastated. I can’t cope, I can’t eat. It’s just devastating.
“When I saw them skid marks, obviously I was praying that it was nothing to do with it and it turns out it was.”
Detectives are trying to piece together the group’s movements in the build up to the crash and are combing through CCTV and number plate recognition cameras.
But they say the last confirmed sighting was at 2am on Saturday before the car was eventually found at 00:15 on Monday morning.
Police say four separate missing persons reports were filed as desperate family members appealed for information.
Eve Smith’s white BMW was yesterday removed from outside the Maesglas Sports and Social Club in Newport where the girls began their evening out on Friday.
They jumped into the white VW Tiguan with Rafel and Shane and the group drove to the Trecco Bay holiday park 45 minutes away in Porthcawl where it is understood Shane’s family owned a static caravan.
There were reports on social media of “an altercation” at the caravan park before the group left and dropped off another unnamed man in Cardiff.
But neighbours spoken to by The Sun said they did not see or hear anything.
The group were last seen in the Welsh capital around 2am on Saturday.
Worried family members reported them missing at 7.34pm that evening but their car was not found until midnight on Sunday.
Assistant Chief Constable Mark Hoborough of Gwent Police said: “This is an extremely sad situation, and our thoughts are with the families and friends of each of the young people involved.
“We will continue to support the investigation and would ask members of the public to refrain from speculation during this period.”
Assistant Chief Constable Jason Davies of South Wales Police said: “Our thoughts continue to be with the families and all those affected by this tragic incident.
“Specialist officers are carrying out a detailed investigation to piece together what has happened. Family liaison officers are supporting the families involved at what must be a hugely difficult time for them.”
Gwent Police and South Wales Police have referred the matter to the Independent Office for Police Conduct, as is usual in these circumstances.