Knaresborough road safety campaigner 'humbled' by invite to King's coronation

Lauren Doherty was paralysed when she was hit by a van as she crossed the road

A road safety campaigner who was left paralysed when she was hit by a van on a night out has been invited to the King's coronation.

Lauren Doherty, from Knaresbrorough, said she was "extremely humbled and honoured" to be asked to attend the ceremony at Westminster Abbey on 6 May.

The 34-year-old has given safety talks to thousands of people since she was hit by a van in August 2008.

She received a British Empire Medal in last year's Queen's Birthday Honours.

About 2,200 guests are expected to attend King Charles's coronation, when a crown will be placed on his head to formalise him becoming monarch and head of the Church of England.

Ms Doherty said it was "all quite overwhelming" to be invited "to be part of this once-in-a-lifetime, historical event",

She added: "It meant so much to me being recognised in the Queen's Birthday Honours last year, where I was awarded a British Empire Medal for services to education, and to be now included in this event, it means just as much."

Lauren Doherty was awarded a British Empire Medal in the Queen's last Birthday Honours

Ms Doherty, then aged 20, was walking home from a night out with friends in Harrogate when she crossed the road while distracted and stepped into the path of an oncoming van.

She said she was "thrown 30ft down the road" by the impact of the collision, which left her in intensive care at Leeds General Infirmary for three weeks.

She suffered a spinal cord injury, which left her with only slight movement in her neck, shoulders and the fingers and toes on her left side.

She spent nine months at the Princess Royal Spinal Cord Injury Centre in Sheffield and six at Lascelles rehabilitation unit in Harrogate as she sought to rebuild her life.

'Amazing story'

In 2016, Ms Doherty began giving talks in schools and workplaces to warn people of the consequences of not taking care on the road.

She said she founded her charity, Road Safety Talks, as she "wanted to share my story to prevent others from experiencing what [I have] been through over the last 15 years".

Rebecca Blunstone, the charity's project manager, said Ms Doherty's invite to the coronation was "testament to all the incredible work she has done to educate others over the years" and "her amazing story of personal resilience".

She added: "She continues to demonstrate to others that decisions we make, even split-second decisions, can have life changing consequences, but this doesn't mean your life is over."