A year and a half ago – May 29, 2021 – life was brutally turned upside down for Thea Skaanes Thomassen (31).
The 31-year-old has always been passionate about exercise and activity. This sunny May day began like all the others: Thea put on her running shoes and went jogging in Gaupen in Ringsaker.
Then things went terribly wrong.
– I don’t remember much about that day. I sat on the stairs and put on my shoes. The next thing I remember is waking up in Ullevål, adds the 31-year-old Hamar Arbeiderbladwho first mentioned the case.
HIT: Thea was hit when she crossed a pedestrian crossing during a run in May last year. You sustained serious injuries in the accident. Photo: private
sea View
– I thought you were dead
During the journey – near her father’s house – she was hit by a car while crossing the street in a pedestrian crossing.
Thea was thrown forward and landed in the ditch across the street, about ten meters below where the car hit her. She suffered head and face fractures, several back fractures, a fractured pelvis, a fractured arm and collarbone, a severe crush injury to the thigh and brain hemorrhages in the accident.
It was Thea’s little sister Elise, who was jogging a few minutes away, who found her on the side of the road, struck and badly injured.
It can reduce the risk of disease
– There was no life in me. He thought you were dead. I can’t imagine what it’s like to find your sister in a ditch like that. It is a show you will not forget. In this sense, I think she has a greater trauma than me, because I don’t remember anything, while she saw everything.
Like Thea, Elise is a qualified nurse. She therefore knew exactly what to do and she took care of Thea until the ambulance arrived.
– I was taken to the hospital in Hamar where several tests were carried out. Doctors concluded that the injuries were so extensive that I was flown to Ullevål hospital by air ambulance, he says.
BEST FRIENDS: Thea and Elise are both sisters and best friends. Photo: private
sea View
– Terrible
“It will take time”, was the message from the doctors at Ullevål hospital.
– It was incredibly disgusting to wake up in the hospital with a smashed body without remembering anything. I panicked and was terrified that my life, which I loved so much, would never be the same again. It was a fear I had never felt before, the 31-year-old tells Dagbladet.
In the hospital, work has begun to fight back.
– It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever experienced, both physically and mentally. I couldn’t walk and every time I got up I would pass out from head injuries. I needed a lot more rehabilitation than I had imagined, says Thea and adds:
– Also, it was in the middle of the corona pandemic and I was only allowed to have one visitor for one hour a day. It was terrible not being able to have a hand to hold while I was fighting for my life.
FRACTURES: Thea suffered many fractures in the accident, including her arm. Photo: private
sea View
It can affect the rest of your life
After a week in Ullevål, the 31-year-old moved home to his family. A total of six weeks of training was then provided at the Sunnaas hospital.
– There was never any option to lie down and surrender. I know what kind of life I want. I quickly realized it wasn’t going to be easy, but I knew it would be worth it in the end.
A year and a half later, the accident still affects Thea’s daily life.
Elliot (17) was paralyzed after a motocross accident
– I’m still 20 per cent on sick leave, mainly due to head injuries. Also, I still struggle with severe leg pain after thigh crush injury and wear a nerve stimulator every single day. Doctors said it might be something I’ll have to live with for the rest of my life, he says and continues:
– Obviously it is a very embarrassing message to receive, but I am doing my best to come back slowly but surely.
REHABILITATION: Thea spent a total of seven weeks in the hospital and in rehabilitation after the accident. She is still troubled by the injuries sustained during the fight. Photo: private
sea View
The driver sentenced to prison
The driver, a man in his 50s from Ringsaker, was sentenced to 18 days in prison in the Østre Innlandet District Court in October. The man was also sentenced to pay Thea 130,000 Norwegian kroner, in addition to revoking his driving license for six months.
– It was hard and difficult to have to repeat everything in relation to the process. It was special to hear her explanation of her, because she believes I jumped in front of a car at full speed, says Thea and adds:
– But I forgave him a long time ago. I am neither angry nor bitter, and I understand that it was difficult for him too. At the same time, I am happy that now I have to pay for the mistakes he made and for everything he put me through.
Rune has testicular cancer in the chest
The driver has always denied criminal guilt, but will not appeal the sentence, his lawyer tells Dagbladet.
– My client disagrees with the ruling, and in particular the basis for the collision, as it is certain that it did not occur in the pedestrian zone, says attorney Christian Arnkværn, in Dagbladet.
He continues:
– He thinks it hurts him to know that he caused the injuries she sustained in the accident, regardless of the fault. This is the most important reason why she now wants to finish the case and try to leave it behind. It was heavy and difficult to have hung on him. After an overall assessment, my client then decided not to appeal.
