Great to read more of the detail about Andy, which we didn’t cover in our piece on this earlier today. Ed
AN ISLE OF WIGHT father of two paralysed in a Christmas Day drink-drive crash is spearheading a new hard-hitting IW Council road safety campaign.
The council hopes that using the story of Andy O’Neill, of Godshill, will help convey the message that drink-driving is not just a national problem but a local one too.
The Christmas drink-drive campaign features images of Andy in his wheelchair with the message: I had a few beers and ended up Paralytic. It’s your future, don’t drink and drive.
Cllr Diana Tuson, IW Council Cabinet member for Safer Communities, said: “There have been many different drink-drive campaigns over the years but we have tried to come up with something that will strike a chord with local people.
“I think it is fantastic that Andy, having paid a very high price for drink-driving, is now prepared to help us convey this important message.
“We are hoping that by using local people, we can demonstrate that drink driving affects all of us. Real lives are at stake.”
The drink-drive campaign is one aspect of a comprehensive campaign being organised by the Isle of Wight Council through its One Island programme of initiatives. The aim is to highlight the dangers of speeding and encourage safer driving to ultimately reduce the number of accidents on Island roads.
The council is looking to use more Island stories in future phases of the campaign.
Andy’s story
Christmas Day has a tragic resonance for Godshill father-of-two Andy O’Neill.
It was on Christmas Day 2004 that Andy made the life-changing decision to drink and drive.
He hadn’t planned to drink and drive but a personal crisis developed and – his ability to make rational judgement impaired following a night out with mates celebrating Christmas Eve – he decided to make a journey on his Suzuki GSX 600.
The error of judgement was to carry a heavy price. While travelling too fast on Beaper Shute, near Ryde, in the early hours of Christmas Day, Andy lost control and his machine crashed head-on with a Ford Galaxy.
The impact was horrendous, Andy, then 24, was thrown from his bike and he smashed into the windscreen of the people carrier. His neck snapped instantly and as he was tossed over the bonnet of the Galaxy, his back was also broken. His right arm was so badly devastated his hand was shunted up into his elbow.
The horrific injuries could easily have proved fatal. While being taken by helicopter to a mainland hospital, the chances of that airlift being his last ever journey were rated as no better than 50-50.
Miraculous as survival was, there was no be no miracle recovery. Andy was left paralysed from his chest down, unable to enjoy movement, never mind the sensations that most young men his age take for granted.
Life would never be the same. But rather than wallow in self-pity or denial, Andy has instead sought to create something positive from his experience. He is endorsing a new hard-hitting campaign by the IW Council to highlight the perils of drink-driving.
In a poster campaign, Andy appears in his wheelchair alongside the message: I Had a Few Beers and Ended Up Paralytic. It’s Your Future. Don’t Drink and Drive.
It is a hard hitting-approach but one that Andy endorses.
“I know I am lucky to be alive and that there are plenty of other motorcyclists have not been given a second chance. It is out of respect to them that I am going to do whatever I can to highlight the dangers of drink-driving,” he said.
“I know I was stupid to do what I did. Because I had been drunk I had lost the ability to make a good judgement — never mind control the motorbike. There are no excuses for drink-driving and if helping to spread the message saves just one person then the campaign will have been worth it.
“It is a hard-hitting message. But given the seriousness of the subject, so it should be.
“I am known by loads of people on the Island and I hope they look at the poster and think ‘Oh my God — look what happened to Andy.”‘
Andy, who while able-bodied enjoyed playing football and playing guitar in pub bands, started his role educating about the dangers of drink-driving during his 14 months recovering in hospital.
He agreed to engage sixth formers in powerful talks organised by the IW Council’s Road Safety Team on day release from hospital.
He has since held audiences spellbound by giving candid accounts of his experience at Safe Drive/Stay Alive events.
Because he pulls no punches, his words strike a chord with the young audiences as he tells of ALL the effects of his condition.
“It is obvious to everyone that I cannot walk but the disadvantages do not end there. Because I have no sensation in my lower body I now need to take medication to be able to have sex and that takes out the spontaneity. It all has to be strategically planned,” said Andy — a comment that seems to make a big impression with young male drivers who listen.
Andy no longer enjoys normal sleep patterns because he has had to prevent himself falling into a deep slumber for fear of dreaming.
“Imagine dreaming as an able-bodied person and then waking up to the realisation you are paralysed from the chest down. It brings back everything that has happened on a daily basis and that is just too much. I can’t start off each day having to come to terms with that.”
Then there is the effect of his disability on his young daughters Oonagh, four and Neave, three.
“Seeing someone in a wheelchair can be unnerving for youngsters. While I was in a mechanical wheelchair my daughters were too scared to come anywhere near me. They are getting better now though.”
Andy also faces the general attitudes some people instinctively have towards people with disabilities. “When I go to the swimming pool, the person behind the counter will always talk to the person who is with me — perhaps they assume I cannot speak for myself.
“All these things, these disadvantages are the direct consequences of my drink-driving — I have to use the second chance I have been given to help people realise the dangers — not just to themselves but to other road users as well.
“The best thing to come out of my accident is the fact that the people in other car were not hurt although I can only imagine the anguish they suffered as a result of my actions.”
Tracey Skipper, IW Council senior road safety officer, said Andy’s bravery had meant the council’s drink drive message had been delivered to a young audience that have not always been easy to reach.
She said: “I have seen plenty of young lads who had previously not been paying too much attention just shocked into silence by Andy’s story and the way he delivers it in a brutally honest and open fashion.
“The key to highlighting road safety issues is to do so in a way that engages people. Andy is certainly able to do that and we are very grateful that he feels able to share his experiences in such a brave and forthright way.”
