A man who suffered terrible injuries when he was hit by a car and left for dead said he is now trying to focus on his future. Mads Vallestad, 30, was struck by the car which mounted the pavement in Rusper Road, Horsham, as he was on his way back from a holiday in Italy. The driver of the blue Ford Fiesta left the scene.
READ MORE: Moment car bursts into flames after ring road crash Mads was found unconscious and his suitcase, which had been dragged by the vehicle, was 200 metres away. He suffered numerous injuries including a fractured skull and a traumatic brain injury and spent six weeks in hospital including two weeks in an induced coma in intensive care. The electronics engineer, who had been working hard to buy a house at the time, also had to have a portion of his skull removed as part of his treatment.
His parents Terje, 63, and Berit Vallestad, 65, flew back from Australia to be with their son. The accident happened on October 16, 2022, at around 9.30pm.
Mads was finally discharged from hospital on November 27. For more than a year he had to wear a helmet to protect his skull when he was standing or walking. He was forced to give up karate, biking and golf during that time and is still unable to work full time.
He had further surgery in January this year to repair damage to his skull and fit a titanium plate. The 30-year-old also suffered facial fractures, a broken right collarbone, and big toe from the incident. Mads, who lives in Horsham, said: "Although I feel luck.
