Bournemouth mum and pram crash victim learns to walk again

A mother struck by a hit-and-run driver as she pushed her daughter's pram to safety has described learning to walk again.

Dale Clark hit Rebecca Sharp with his Toyota Rav4 in Bournemouth on 11 April.

She was able to push her baby to safety but suffered a near-fatal brain injury, a broken leg, pelvis, ribs and a fractured skull.

Her husband Daniel Sharp said they felt "very lucky with her recovery given what the potential prognosis was".

Mrs Sharp has been in hospital ever since with her husband Daniel by her bedside

Airlifted first to Southampton General Hospital, Mrs Sharp was then moved to Poole Hospital where she remains as she continues her recovery.

She said: "I had to learn to walk again, basically. I had to learn to walk with the nurses and staff here and they've been brilliant - every one of them."

Clark was over the drink-drive limit and fled the scene of the crash, leaving Mrs Sharp lying unconscious in the middle of the road, Bournemouth Crown Court heard last month.

He was jailed for three years and eight months after previously pleading guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving and drink driving.

Dale Clark hit Rebecca Sharp with his car while she was walking near Redhill Park, in Bournemouth

"I think he should have got a lot more [jail time] than he did," Mrs Sharp said.

"I'm stuck with a brain injury for life so he should have got life really."

But the couple are looking to the future and Mr Sharp is training for next year's London Marathon with family friend Ross MacLeod in aid of Brain Research UK.

The mum-of-three has had to learn to walk again with the help of hospital staff

Mr Sharp explained: "You start out at the beginning being told your wife may die so you have to just give over control and just take each day but we're very lucky with her recovery given what the potential prognosis was."

His wife urged anyone getting behind the wheel: "Please don't drink and drive or do drugs and drive because it ruins your life and the life of the person that you hit."

Follow BBC South on Facebook, X, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to [e-mail].