ROXANNE Pallett says her boyfriend Lee Walton kept her conscious during her horror crash last week – but she’s been hounded by cruel trolls online since who were “disappointed” that she didn’t come off worse.
The 35-year-old was airlifted to hospital on Wednesday afternoon after the smash at Hunmanby Raceway near Scarborough and credits her devoted partner and the ambulance team for saving her life.
Recalling the day that ended in a near-tragedy, an emotional Roxanne told Kate Garraway on Good Morning Britain: “It’s something you never expect to happen to you. I’m so dosed up on painkillers even now and I’m numb and I’m glad I am.
“We were visiting a racing track, it was meant to be a fun afternoon. I just remember being excited and then realising very fast that the car was more powerful than me.
“And when I was revving to drive I didn’t expect it to be so quick. I couldn’t brake and couldn’t turn it around the corner. I could see I was about to hit. And that was when I lost (it). I blacked out.”
Firefighters spent two hours cutting Roxanne out of the car and her Minster FM breakfast show co-host Ben Fry called Lee and told him to speak to her to keep her from losing consciousness.
Roxanne went on: “It was like time stood still. I remember waking up and feeling out of breath. I must have had my eyes closed. They said I lost consciousness for 30 seconds.
“They had Lee on the phone to me.
“I had this helmet on, I had this blocked up feeling like I had water in my head. I couldn’t hear much or feel anything.
“He was saying ‘hold on, stay awake’. I just wanted to go to sleep. I couldn’t feel my legs, as soon as I woke up, and my head. I think that’s why they airlifted me.”
The star, who returned home from hospital on Thursday, says staff kitted her out in all the right protective gear before she got in the car and reacted quickly when they saw her crash.
She said: “I had all the right gear on, the protective helmet and clothes, the guys were wonderful. I have to say this, I respect the sport.”
However, the former Emmerdale actress was shocked to receive nasty comments about her injuries on social media.
She said: “I’ve had some really negative comments on social media that’s been really upsetting from the stock car racing community almost lacking compassion.
MOST READ IN TV & SHOWBIZ
“They were almost disappointed that I’d been airlifted and only come out of it with some internal bruising and sprained wrist. I’ve got to also point out that sometimes injuries can be invisible.
“My head doesn’t feel right, I can barely stretch my ribs and back are so sore. “here’s people every day walking around with injuries and disabilities that are invisible to the eye and people need to remember that. It’s just been five days of a nightmare really trying to regroup.”
Roxanne had been racing Ben to promote the Outlaw Gold Top Shootout event on August 11.
A source told The Sun Online: “She tried to overtake Ben on a bend and was travelling too fast and smashed into the concrete wall on the track.”
Got a story? email [email protected] or call us direct on 02077824220.
We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.