Man hit by speeding car in 60mph crash forgives driver

"It's a all a bit of a blur to be honest," says Jake Harris, who was hit by a car travelling at more than 60mph

By the time Jake Harris realised a car was careering toward him at 60mph (97km/h), it was too late.

He was lucky to survive, and incredibly, he left hospital after 24 hours with very few injuries.

Months later he shook hands with the man who was driving the car and told him he was forgiven.

"It's all still a bit of a blur, if I'm honest," said Jake, now 26, as he tried to remember the night of the incident in January 2019.

Jake, from Cwmbran, Torfaen, said: "It all happened in such a flash. I don't remember being unconscious, I think I was still awake through all of it. The first thing I remember thinking was 'where's my shoe gone?'".

Jake had not long finished work and was going to the pub to meet some friends when he was hit.

When those friends turned up at the scene of the crash, he could not remember who they were because he had suffered a bad knock to the head.

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Dramatic CCTV footage, which Jake has consented to being released, shows the journey of the BMW 1 series through the residential streets of Pontnewydd, near Cwmbran, initially at 72mph (116km/h).

The driver then hits a wall doing 60mph and then careers into Jake, who was walking on the pavement.

The BMW 1 series was travelling at 72mph (116km/h) before it struck a wall just behind Jake

When the investigating officers came to talk to Jake in his hospital bed, they asked: "How are you still alive?".

"They said 'you shouldn't be here right now. Lucky you'," explains Jake who works in retail.

"Because they'd all seen this CCTV already before I'd had chance to. They said it should have been a lot worse."

Jake escaped with two fractured toes, cuts to the foot and a gash to the head that needed 10 stitches.

Police officers could not believe how lucky Jake had been

Daniel Hawkesford, from Cwmbran, who was 19 at the time of the crash, pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving at a hearing at Newport Crown Court in September 2019.

The court heard his actions were "out of character", but he was banned from driving for three years and sentenced to 16 months in jail, which was suspended for 18 months.

Jake Harris was in court that day and despite what had happened to him, shook hands with Hawkesford.

"He wanted to apologise to me. He said: 'I didn't mean to go that fast, I'm sorry'. He seemed remorseful, a nice guy and I forgave him."

CCTV footage captured the moment Jake was struck by the car

"A lot of people say I am mad for forgiving him, but I am just a genuinely nice guy. I don't like to hold grudges too much against people because it doesn't get you anywhere," Jake added.

It is now more than two-and-a-half years since he was injured, and Jake said he was "more relaxed" after experiencing recurring nightmares and anxiety.

He acknowledges he is "lucky to be alive".

He said: "I refused to walk out the door for a while. I was more scared than anything else.

"Now I am able to go out with confidence and do everything I was able to do before - go cycling, go for walks, like before the crash happened.

"I am going round smiling and able to be the person I used to be."

The story of how police pieced together what happened to Jake will be shown in the second episode of The Crash Detectives on BBC One Wales at 20:30 BST.

If you are someone you know has been affected by the issues raised in this article, information on available support can be found on the BBC Action Line website.

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