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The Sun
2 days ago
- The Sun
My brain FLIPPED in my skull as my head smashed against the road when a drunk driver ploughed into me then ran off
JAMES Bradley was waiting for a bus when a car ploughed into him with such force that his brain flipped inside his skull. What was just a moment in the drunk-driver's life became a three-year battle to save James' through 10 gruelling surgeries. 9 9 9 James, who was visiting from Dubai at the time of the brutal hit-and-run on Bushey High Street, Hertfordshire, on Boxing Day 2021, had to completely relearn how to read, write, speak and walk in the wake of his ordeal. The high-flying project manager, now 37, tells Sun Health: 'I was just crossing the road and the guy hit me out of nowhere. I was knocked completely unconscious. 'He slung me from the right-hand side. I smacked my arm against the windscreen and smashed my head against the floor. 'I landed right in the middle of the road, and the bus nearly ran me over as well.' After stopping down the road just moments after hitting James, then 34, the driver fled the scene - leaving his innocent victim helpless on the tarmac. He says: 'My friends saw me in the middle of the road, then noticed the driver stop and get out of the car. 'He started swearing because he'd seen me on the ground. 'I believe he wiped down the steering wheel, then took his possessions and just ran off. 'There was a pub next door and he ran through the garden and jumped over the fence.' James says there were drugs and alcohol in the vehicle, and the car didn't even belong to him. As James' panic-stricken pals waited for an ambulance to arrive, two heroic nurses, who were held up in the police cordon, rushed over to help. He says: 'Jodie Bannister and Mary Walsh saw me lying in the road and raced over. 'Jodie got her coat and wrapped me in it.' On the way to St. Mary's Hospital in London, James' heart stopped. Thankfully, medics were able to stabilise him in time to deliver him to intensive care. He adds: 'I went straight in to have a CT scan and then immediately into surgery. 'They had to cut open my skull to relieve the pressure on my brain. 'They said my brain flipped from one side to the other. The pressure on my brain had moved the actual brain itself.' 9 9 9 James' elbow was also shattered into 50 pieces, and he had to have sections of his leg and hip removed to help rebuild the joint. After his life-saving surgery, he was placed into a medical coma - one that doctors were unsure if he would ever wake up from. James' brother, Paul, says the family would video call the ward every day in the desperate hope for positive change. Paul, 40, says: 'Back then, we were still dealing with the ramifications of Covid, so we had to do a lot of Zoom calls. 'Every day he was in a coma, we phoned as a family and would say, 'Any change?' and they would say, 'No'. 'We did this for weeks, but it felt like months.' Miraculously, James defied the doctors' fears, and he woke up after three and a half weeks - but he's still got a long way to go. James says: 'I'm still not fully there yet. 'I've only just finalised my rehabilitation three years after the accident because the injury was on the left side of my brain, which impacts your speech and language. 'I've had four surgeries on my brain and another four on my elbow. 'I still have one functional arm and two more surgeries to go, so I'm still not finished. 'I'll probably never be finished, but I'll always look to move forward.' James has also developed epilepsy and has suffered six severe seizures, one of which resulted in his head being re-stitched. His memory has also been heavily affected. Epilepsy after a brain injury EPILEPSY happens when the normal electrical activity in your brain changes. It's thought to be related to genes you inherit from your parents, or to changes in your genes, but it can be caused by brain damage. This includes a head injury, stroke or an infection. The Epilepsy Foundation says: "When there is a traumatic blow to the head, or a jarring or shaking of the brain, the impact of the brain against the rough edges on the inside of the skull can cause tearing of the coverings of the brain, tissues, and blood vessels that may cause bleeding. "The impact can also cause bruising (contusion) and swelling (edema) of the brain. "Since the brain is covered by the skull, there is only a small amount of room for it to swell. "This causes pressure inside the skull to increase, which can lead to additional widespread brain injury." Epilepsy cannot currently be cured, but treatment can often help manage it, including medication and surgery. Source: NHS, Epilepsy Foundation After a procedure to add new plates under his scalp to replace the missing half of his skull, he developed an infection. James says: 'Because I had my head open, I essentially didn't have a skull, just skin covering my brain. 'On the day that the tissue around my metal skull got infected, they had to cut muscle out of my face, just above my temple, to get into the actual infection part of my skull. 'When they do these head surgeries, you have to have half your skull taken out, and you lie in bed with the worst headaches for weeks. 'Then you come out again and have to rebuild. It was demoralising.' I was at the bottom of the barrel and felt I had nothing left in my life to live for anymore. I was completely broken. James Despite saving his life, the countless operations and the visible damage to James' face and head left him suicidal. He says: 'I was at the bottom of the barrel and felt I had nothing left in my life to live for anymore. I was completely broken. 'I didn't want to go outside. I didn't want people to see me. 'I hated the way I looked, so I didn't really want to go to the gym, but I eventually plucked up the courage to go back. 'Because I've been in hospital for so long, I've lost all my muscle. 'I've been trying to rebuild the muscle and get my life back.' 9 9 9 Because the years after his accident were a blur of hospital visits, surgeries and rehabilitation, the severity of James' injuries didn't fully register until he returned to St Mary's Hospital for a check-up in 2022. After chatting about his time in the ICU, a doctor suggested he visit the ward where he spent weeks in a coma. When James walked through the doors and laid eyes on his personal nurse, Rebecca, she struggled to hold back tears. Paul, a personal trainer, says: 'These nurses have to be 'on it', and all they are dealing with is negativity and drama - bad, bad people who are close to death. 'Rebecca came out, almost crying, and told James, 'We never get to see the success stories, we never find out what happens when people leave here'. 'She turned around to James and told him how pleased she was to see him because he was the sickest person on the ward. 'I think that was the moment when it really hit home for James. 'I think until then, the penny hadn't dropped. In that moment, he realised he'd had a second lease of life.' 'Life is so precious' James, who once worked for Exxon Mobil, one of the biggest oil and gas companies in the world, is now writing a book. He hopes The Will To Survive will inspire others who have experienced life-changing injuries. But writing has come with its challenges. James says he often gets tired after looking at a screen for prolonged periods and sometimes the words don't flow as easily. 'I want to be able to help other people who have had similar experiences to me,' he adds. 'It will be autobiographical, but will be filled with things I've learned in my recovery.' As the car didn't belong to the person driving at the time of the incident, police were never able to charge him. For some, the injustice would be almost too much to bear. But James, who is now waiting to have more surgery on his arm and face, takes a vastly different approach and says the crash was one of the 'best things' to have happened to him. 'I feel sorry for him, really,' he says. 'I'm not saying that anyone should have to nearly die to feel this way, but honestly, it's one of the best things that's happened to me because now I've learned the true aspect of life. 'Life is so precious and it's completely opened my eyes - especially to how we should treat one another. 'I'm not angry towards him anymore, it's just one of those things you have to get over. 'He was obviously going through a time where he felt it was OK to leave me. I've not got hatred for the guy.'
BBC News
21-07-2025
- Climate
- BBC News
Essential Guernsey Castle Cornet breakwater work begins
Essential restructuring work will take place at Castle Cornet Ports said masonry repointing was needed on sections of the breakwater which were highlighted during a routine inspection. It said there would still be access to the Castle and the approach bridge but between 06:00 and 18:00 BST there would be barriers at the breakwater to prevent public Armstrong, Guernsey Ports project manager, said the repointing would address "minor damage" sustained over the winter to prevent more serious structural issues. He said: "The Castle breakwater's main purpose is to provide safe waters and sheltered areas within St Peter Port Harbour, which it has been doing since the 1850s."The work is scheduled during the summer to take advantage of the favourable weather and sea conditions, which keeps the project costs down and allows the work to be completed ahead of any winter storms."Mr Armstrong added: "It is important that people respect the barriers that will be in place during the day, as they are necessary for public safety and the safety of our contractors."Work will take place until Friday, 1 August, Guernsey Ports said.
Malay Mail
20-07-2025
- Business
- Malay Mail
Bribe burning scandal: MACC identifies two more companies involved in data centre graft
KUALA LUMPUR, July 20 — The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has identified two more companies suspected of obtaining data centre construction projects by bribing the project manager of a prominent construction company who was recently arrested. According to a source, several company directors have also been identified and will be called to assist in the investigation into the case. "The investigation also found that the main suspect, the project manager, admitted to having asked for about three per cent of the project value from any company that wanted to obtain a project from a prominent construction company," he said here today. The source informed that the bribe was done by leaking the tender price and helping to ensure that the company that paid the bribe was given priority to win the tender. "This bribe was paid in stages according to the progress of the project payment and it is understood that there are several million more that have yet to be paid by the company to the suspect as per their agreement," he said. The media previously reported that a project manager of a prominent construction company who was detained for investigation into a corruption case involving the procurement of a data centre construction project tender was willing to burn almost RM1 million in cash to destroy evidence after being shocked by the MACC raid through Op Ways on Thursday. According to sources, during the raid conducted at his home in Petaling Jaya, a team of officers found RM100 banknotes totalling almost RM1 million in flames. As a result of a thorough inspection of the home, the MACC also found cash totalling approximately RM7.5 million stored in several pillow boxes, three Rolex, Omega and Cartier watches as well as jewellery such as rings and gold coins. On Friday, the media reported that a contract manager, his wife and two men in their 40s to 60s were arrested by the MACC Investigation Division around the Klang Valley, believed to be involved in corruption involving the procurement of a data centre construction project tender in Johor worth approximately RM180 million. — Bernama
Free Malaysia Today
20-07-2025
- Free Malaysia Today
MACC identifies 2 more firms offering bribes in data centre project probe
An MACC source said the prime suspect is believed to have leaked tender prices and ensured companies that paid him bribes were awarded the contracts. PETALING JAYA : The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has identified two more firms that allegedly secured contracts linked to the construction of a data centre in Johor by bribing a project manager of a leading construction company. A source from the MACC said several company directors from the two firms would be called in to assist in investigations. 'The key suspect – the project manager – admitted to demanding 3% of each project's value from companies seeking contracts with the construction firm,' Utusan Malaysia reported the source as saying. The suspect is believed to have leaked tender prices and ensured companies that paid him bribes were awarded the contracts. 'The bribes were paid in stages, based on the progress of the project payments. 'It is understood that several million ringgit has yet to be paid to the suspect, as part of the agreement between him and the companies,' the source added. Yesterday, it was reported that the suspect, who was arrested by the MACC over alleged corruption involving tenders for a RM180 million data centre project, had purportedly tried to burn nearly RM1 million in cash to destroy evidence. Sources said the suspect had attempted to destroy the cash out of panic following the raid carried out by MACC at his house on Thursday. A team of MACC officers discovered bundles of RM100 banknotes, amounting to nearly RM1 million, in the process of being burned in a bathroom. It was reported on Friday that MACC arrested the suspect, along with his wife and two company directors, over suspected corruption involving procurement tenders for the construction of the data centre in Johor. About RM7.5 million in cash, stored in pillow cases, three luxury watches – a Rolex, an Omega, and a Cartier – as well as various pieces of jewellery, including rings and gold coins, were seized during the raid. The money is believed to be from bribes paid to the manager in exchange for securing six project tenders. The project manager is on remand until July 24, his wife until July 21 and the two company directors until July 22.
Free Malaysia Today
19-07-2025
- Free Malaysia Today
Suspect burns nearly RM1mil in cash during MACC raid
The MACC team discovered partially burnt RM100 banknotes amounting to nearly RM1 million in the bathroom of the main suspect's house during the raid. PETALING JAYA : One of the suspects arrested during a raid by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) over alleged corruption involving a data centre construction project tender had reportedly tried to burn nearly RM1 million in cash to destroy evidence. Sources said the project manager of a leading construction company had attempted to destroy the cash out of panic and shock following the raid carried out by MACC at the suspect's house on Thursday, Bernama reported. A team of MACC officers discovered bundles of RM100 banknotes, amounting to nearly RM1 million, in the process of being burned, according to sources. 'The suspect is believed to have acted in desperation by grabbing several bundles of cash and attempting to destroy them by burning them upon seeing the arrival of the MACC team,' a source was quoted as saying. 'After the MACC team successfully opened the door, they found the interior filled with thick smoke emanating from the bathroom. 'Upon inspection, the team discovered partially burnt RM100 banknotes amounting to nearly RM1 million in the bathroom.' It was reported yesterday that MACC arrested the suspect, along with his wife and two company directors, over suspected corruption involving procurement tenders for the construction of a RM180 million data centre in Johor. About RM7.5 million in cash, stored in several pillow boxes, along with three luxury watches – a Rolex, an Omega, and a Cartier – as well as various pieces of jewellery, including rings and gold coins were seized during the raid. 'The money is believed to be from bribes paid to the manager in exchange for securing six project procurement tenders,' a source said. Meanwhile, MACC deputy chief commissioner for operations, Ahmad Khusairi Yahaya confirmed the incident when contacted. He stressed that the suspect's attempt to dispose of evidence constituted a serious offence, which could be prosecuted under Section 201 of the Penal Code, carrying a maximum sentence of seven years' imprisonment and a fine, upon conviction. However, Khusairi added that the main focus of the investigation remains under Section 16 and Section 17A of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009, which deal with bribery and corporate liability for corruption. MACC has obtained a seven-day remand order until July 24 for the manager, while his wife has been remanded for three days until July 21. The Putrajaya magistrates' court also ordered the two company directors to be remanded until July 22.
