Ed Sheeran fan engaged at Newcastle gig after near-death crash
- Published
Stephanie Wilkinson is on the road to recovery and was able to see Ed Sheeran in concert
A woman who nearly died in a car crash has said she is "so excited" after her partner proposed at an Ed Sheeran gig.
Stephanie Wilkinson, 21, needed a roadside blood transfusion following the crash near Whittingham, Northumberland, in September last year.
Her boyfriend Ben Smith, 23, got down on one knee after Ed Sheeran sang "One" at Newcastle's St James Park on Friday.
Ms Wilkinson said if it was not for the air ambulance "that moment wouldn't have happened".
Ms Wilkinson has deferred her studies since the crash but will start back at Teesside University in September
The pair were travelling to the Metrocentre in Gateshead to book a holiday when their car collided with another vehicle on the A697.
She sustained significant injuries to her pelvis, hand, hip and leg and had much of her left side rebuilt with metal plates, bolts and nails.
The journalism student said her life was saved by the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) as she "wouldn't have made it to hospital by road".
Mr Smith, a trainee structural engineer, drew the attention of audience members nearby when he got on one knee.
Ms Wilkinson said: "Everyone stood up and [people] were clapping and cheering.
"It was such an amazing atmosphere, the moment was so perfect.
"If it wasn't for the GNAAS crew saving my life that moment wouldn't have happened. I'm so thankful."
Ms Wilkinson could not walk on her leg for six months - she is now able to use crutches and uses a wheelchair for longer distances
Much of her left side was rebuilt with metal plates, bolts and nails.
Ms Wilkinson was airlifted to Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary where she remained for nearly eight weeks.
During one nine-hour surgery, she had three teams working on her arm, pelvis and leg at the same time.
She has one more operation on her left leg still to go.
She said Mr Smith "was there at the hospital every day, after work and after uni".
"The car accident has proved to both of us how important we are to each other.
"[The wedding] is something big to look forward to. After everything that's happened it's really lifted my spirits. I'm so excited."