A young woman, whose father was left fighting for his life after being hit by a car, is now part of a campaign to stop people filming at the scene on their mobile phones.
Eve Thomas from Hirwaun, who was 17 at the time, is speaking out about how devastating it is to know people had uploaded footage of the crash to social media. Hundreds of people speculated online about her dad, Nigel Thomas, and his condition.
The campaign, It’s not your story to tell, is being spearheaded by the South Wales Trauma Network and has the support of many agencies including Welsh police forces and other blue light services.
“I was on my way home from school when our bus was stopped because of a traffic accident,” Eve said.
“I spotted my dad’s bike and I went into complete denial, but I knew it was his bike because I had put the stickers on it. Students on my bus started filming the scene on their phones which was wrong.
“When I eventually got home, I found out it was dad and I was devastated. He was riding home from work when he was hit by a car. He had life-changing injuries, we didn’t know if he was going to make it. He spent weeks in an induced coma and nine months in hospital. There were no words to explain how I felt, it didn’t feel real.
“It was made so much worse because I knew people were sharing what they had filmed and speculating online about what had happened. My godmother had seen the story online and called us thinking dad had died.”
Eve, who is now 25, is asking people to “take a minute” to think about the human impact of filming accidents and sharing content online. She was given expert support by the South Wales Trauma Network after witnessing a second very serious incident, triggering renewed traumatic feelings.
Eve said: “That person in front of you is someone’s parent, child, or friend. Would you want someone filming your loved one in their most vulnerable moment, or would you want them to call for help?
“The ways things were filmed and put on social media was a big part of how it all affected me after and a lot of my therapy to help me move on was based around that.”
Nigel, a former delivery driver who is 65, is now living at his home and is cared for by Eve. She hopes her story will make people think twice before filming at crash scenes, shifting the focus from capturing shocking content to showing compassion for victims and their families.
“If I can prevent just one family from experiencing what we went through, then sharing our story will have been worth it,” Eve said.
Eve’s experience and desire to prevent other people going through the same sparked the idea for the campaign, which she co-produced with Andrea Bradley, Operations Manager of the South Wales Trauma Network. The network is made up of hospitals, emergency services and rehabilitation services across the region, working together to ensure patients with life-threatening or life-changing injuries receive the best possible treatment and care.
Andrea Bradley is also a Senior Nurse with extensive trauma experience. Andrea said: “We are extremely proud of Eve having the courage to tell her story, highlighting the issues of social media at the scene of an incident. It has an impact on the emergency services trying to deliver the best care possible in difficult circumstances. As you can see from Eve’s story, it also has a lasting negative experience for our patients and their loved ones.”
Welsh Government Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing Sarah Murphy said: “This is an incredibly powerful campaign. Eve and her father Nigel’s story shows that what can seem like a moment’s curiosity, a quick photograph and social media post, can cause long-lasting impacts and trauma for those on the other side of the lens. I commend Eve for her bravery in speaking out and hope this will encourage more people to call for help when they see an accident or incident.”
