A woman who survived one of Australia’s worst multi-vehicle pileups says she never saw the truck that came out of the fog to smash her nose, leaving her with injuries she continues to battle six months later.
Ballarat resident Renee Warton, 31, was driving on the Western Highway towards Melbourne for a night shift on December 11 when, despite being warned by her colleagues about the fog, she almost ran into a series of collisions occurring around 4 p.m.
“Even though I was traveling at low speed, I just managed to get back up, which shows how thick the fog was. It was actually insane,” Ms Warton told Daily Mail Australia on Friday.
“It was just the fog that caused it and I think someone slowed down depending on the conditions and other people obviously didn’t because of the lack of visibility, it It was just a bang… it was a domino effect.”
Ballarat woman Renee Warton suffered injuries to her nose, back and neck after being hit from behind by a truck in foggy conditions on Victoria’s Western Highway.
Police said a total of 30 vehicles were involved in the pileups near Myrniong, in Melbourne’s western suburbs, with one crash involving 14 cars.
“We were driving at one or two kilometers an hour, crawling. We had hazard lights and the cars were coming very fast,” she explained.
“It didn’t matter that the road was clearly dangerous and foggy, the trucks continued to speed past and arrive at full speed.
“We all decided by mutual agreement that we were going to honk our horns to try to alert everyone.
“Cars could just pull up next to us. A car almost ran everyone over but he just managed to stop.
“When I was watching it, I looked in my rearview mirror and I was hit by a truck.
“I saw my reflection in the mirror when I was hit, I was drowned in blood, it was terrifying.”
The accident sent him banging his head against the steering wheel.
“I instantly hit my whole face and my gums,” she said.
Her first thought when she saw her reflection was, “Oh, my God, where are my teeth?” “.
‘I thought, ‘Thank God they’re still in my head.’
“But I saw my nose and I was like, ‘Oh, my god.’
Ms Warton said she had not seen the truck before the accident but it was the type used for moving.
Ms Warton said her first instinct was to get out of the crashed car, but then a man on the highway shouted at her: “Don’t get out of the car, there are other cars coming.”
Police said 30 vehicles were involved in pileups, the largest being a 14-vehicle pileup in Melbourne’s western suburbs on December 11.
“There was a man who was not involved in any of the accidents, he had just stopped to help someone,” she said.
“My eyes were fixed on him and I said, ‘tell me when to go and I’ll run’.
“He told me when to get out of the car, met me on the road and I jumped out into the middle lane.
“He sat me down and there was an off-duty paramedic there. I ended up passing out shortly after.
“I’ve passed out before, so I pretty much knew what was happening when my ears started ringing and the paramedic said, ‘Put your feet up.’
“I said, ‘Everything will be fine,’ I was just in shock,” Ms Warton said.
“I probably had one of the most serious injuries because my face was covered in blood.” Everyone has become “hell”.
;I said ‘I’m fine.’ I walk and talk, I’m fine. Obviously my nose is very broken.
“I sent the paramedic to help the others.”
Ms Warton relaxes at home in a photo taken shortly before suffering the horror accident.
Around her, the chaos continued.
“There were still accidents, on both sides of the road as well.
“It was just chaotic, I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“The emergency services were doing what they could, but it was a ‘where do I start’ kind of thing.
“There was a man in an SUV who ran into the back of the truck and ended up completely breaking his jaw, knocking out all his teeth and ending up with a brain injury,” he said. she declared.
“He’s up now, thank God. There were many people suffering from spinal injuries.
When the Good Samaritan announced his departure, Ms Warton asked if she could hitch a ride with him, knowing that ambulances were having difficulty getting through.
She was taken to St John of God Hospital in Ballarat where she was treated for a broken nose, neck and back pain.
“About a week after the accident I felt the full effects of it and couldn’t move,” Ms Warton said.
Police and emergency services are gradually clearing out pileups on the Western Highway on December 11.
She said six months of suffering “comes in waves” and is made worse by having to constantly monitor her job as a crane operator and rigger.
“I also have to wear a safety helmet every day and just putting that little weight on my neck causes a lot of problems,” she said.
The accident shattered the septum of her nose and left her unable to breathe through her nostrils except for about 5 to 10 percent of her capacity on one side.
“Sleep is a huge thing. I can’t breathe through my nose, so I actually have sleep apnea now,” Ms Warton said.
She wakes up several times a night because she “forgets” to leave her mouth open and can no longer breathe.
Her injuries have limited her in other ways as well.
“I’m a very active person but I can’t really do things with my usual abilities,” she said.
The physical injuries are a constant reminder of his accident, but the psychological scars are perhaps more traumatic.
“It definitely changed the way I drive,” she said.
Ms Warton said the accident impacted her job as a crane operator and fitter in Melbourne.
“I suffer from very severe post-traumatic stress disorder…I get very nervous around trucks.
“I drive to Melbourne every day from Ballarat for work and you notice you get really nervous on the road, if someone comes to an intersection too fast you absolutely piss yourself off and it gets really frustrating.
“I’m looking for advice, which is very hard to get.”
To ensure she receives full coverage for her medical expenses, which may include a complete nose reconstruction, Ms Warton has hired Melbourne law firm Slater and Gordon.
She wanted drivers to be more aware when road conditions are dangerous.
“I want to be able to sleep. I want to be able to breathe properly. I want to be active again,” she said.
“It’s very frustrating to do the right things on the road and have someone else take those things from you.
“You have to drive according to the conditions, if you can’t see, don’t speed up and go even slower than you think is necessary.
“I want people to realize that a car accident is life-changing and that we all have the power to keep each other safe.”
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