Driver, 34, who hit a horse in motorway crash was left so disfigured in hospital that his family only recognised him by the shape of his nose
- Ian Tilston had two cardiac arrests, major brain trauma and a punctured lung
- He was in a coma for months and was on life support at Salford Royal Hospital
A motorist who hit a horse in a motorway crash was left so disfigured that his family only recognised him by the shape of his nose.
Ian Tilston and his car were crushed by a horse, who escaped from a nearby field, while he was driving to work along the M56.
The 34-year-old left his home in Hawarden and exited the motorway at junction 10 on his way to Nantwich on January, 10, 2022 when the freak accident happened.
Ian was rushed to Salford Royal Hospital where he spent months on life support, underwent brain surgery and had a number of other procedures including facial reconstruction.
The Manchester United supporter had two cardiac arrests, major brain trauma and a punctured lung- he was also in a coma for months.
Ian Tilston and his car were crushed by a horse, who escaped from a nearby field, was left so disfigured that his family only recognised him by the shape of his nose
Ian was rushed to Salford Royal Hospital where he spent months on life support, underwent brain surgery and had a number of other procedures including facial reconstruction
Ian’s brother, Adam, told the Liverpool Echo: ‘He was put in an induced coma for a few weeks and when he woke up they moved him to The Walton Centre.
‘He had a number of surgeries and they even rebuilt his face. His entire face was crushed in the crash and he had to have a piece of his skull removed for surgery.
‘He looked an absolute mess after the accident and we only knew it was him through his nose.
‘He’s been at the Walton Centre for a year now. He’s had life-changing injuries as a result of this. He’s lost his vision and can’t walk so he needs 24-hour care.
‘They’re looking to discharge him but we need somewhere for him to go. We’re trying to transform our mum’s house now. We want him home to be able to enjoy some quality of life.
‘We just want to get something in place for him. Police at the time said it was a freak accident and the fences were in fine condition but horses had since escaped.’
Adam explained the hospital told him the bleed on Ian’s brain was the worst they had seen.
A year on his brother can now speak and move his right arm but is still cognitively challenged as he has days where he thinks it is still 2010.
The father-of-one said: ‘I was in work and around 9.30am my grandad rang me, it was the first time in my life I’d heard him cry. I thought the worst and thought he had died.
‘I went to see my grandparents and we waited for news. Since then our entire lives have changed. At the start, we were preparing our lives for the worst.
‘We could only recognise him through his nose. The turning point was when he was in ICU and he put his thumbs up to us.’
Three cars and two horses were involved in the accident.
The family are raising money to pay for work in Adam and Ian’s mother’s home in order to for Ian to be discharged from The Walton Centre- they have so far raised £9,840.
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