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A woman who suffered severe injuries after her vehicle was struck head-on by a tourist’s campervan says she is haunted by the pain she suffered but thankful to be alive.

And the woman’s neighbour told the Herald she felt immense panic when she realised her friend was stuck in the mangled wreckage minutes after the crash.

Ōmanawa resident Hazel Jamieson was driving home from the supermarket when her vehicle was hit by the campervan, which was travelling on the wrong side of the road in the Western Bay of Plenty.

She had been just a “minute away from being home and safe”, but is now facing the lasting effects of traumatic injuries after the “scariest day” of her life on May 10.

A 20-year-old campervan passenger was also left critically injured with a broken back.

Jamieson stayed in hospital for four nights to receive treatment for her injuries, including a dislocated foot with multiple fractures, a fractured elbow, a light concussion and significant bruising across her pelvis and chest from the seatbelt’s impact.

On the day of the crash, Jamieson said she had just been into town to get groceries and - thankfully - her partner and stepson didn’t want to go with her.

Hazel Jamieson suffered multiple fractures and significant bruising in the crash. Photo / Givealittle

Friend and neighbour Michelle Topham told the Herald she was at home when the life-changing crash occurred.

“It was awful knowing someone had crashed and I wasn’t sure who, but I had this awful feeling knowing she was out.”

Topham said she heard helicopters and started frantically sending texts to her neighbours to see if they were okay.

I said to my husband, ‘Hazel’s out,‘ and he’s like, ‘Do you want to go down?’

“I knew that if it was her, I wouldn’t have coped. It was just this weird intuition of I just knew it was her.”

Jamieson said her other neighbours were having a cup of tea when they heard the loud crash.

“They were there so fast.

“I think for me, it felt like a long time, but I think in reality it was minutes.”

She said one of her neighbours, who came to the rescue, was an ex-rescue diver and was among the first on the scene.

A 20-year-old US tourist was a victim of a life-changing head-on collision, which left her with several devastating injuries and a broken back. Photo / GoFundMe

Jamieson’s long recovery begins 

A month on from the crash, Topham said Jamieson’s recovery has been a significant fight.

“She shouldn’t have to be fighting like, essentially for someone else’s mistake, but she’s very lucky to be alive.

“I just keep saying to her, ‘Thank you for not dying. Thank you for being alive’.”

She said due to Jamieson being self-employed and trying to run a small furniture restoration business, the family didn’t qualify for ACC or welfare support.

“I felt for her, it’s such an injustice, she was innocent.

“She’s doing her best, but I know that she’s really mentally struggling, probably more than she’s letting on.

“I think there’s been a couple of times that she’s allowed herself to tell us how she’s feeling.”

Topham set up a Givealittle page to support Jamieson’s recovery and daily expenses.

Ōmanawa resident Hazel Jamieson told the Herald she was a "minute away from being home and safe” when she was hit. Photo / Supplied

The Givealittle said Jamieson had just recovered from shoulder surgery and was about to get back into work when the serious accident happened.

“She’s had a bit of a muck around when she was in hospital with her injuries, and she kept saying to them, ‘Something’s not right with my foot’,” Topham said.

“I think that’s also the hard thing for her mentally, she’s literally just had to keep fighting and fighting and fighting.

“She’s had to fight for her scans and her MRI’s.”

Ōmanawa resident Hazel Jamieson told the Herald she was a "minute away from being home and safe” when she was hit. Photo / ��һ�ǿ�����

Topham said it had been so hard seeing her friend struggle, who she described as wise and strong.

“She’s always got my back, even though she’s out of action at the moment, there’s no hesitation to help me.”

‘Pain’s good because you’re alive’

Earlier, Jamieson said she was haunted by the pain she had suffered.

“To be honest, more than the crash, what will haunt me is actually the pain because I’ve had injuries and accidents and things before but never have I experienced pain like that.

“My partner reminds me, it’s like, pain’s good because you’re alive.”

She said she was conscious that the outcome could have been so much worse.

“At the end of the day, they’re very young. It was an accident and unfortunately, accidents do happen, and [I’m] just really, really grateful that none of us died.”

Jamieson and Topham both said the support shown since the accident had been a testament to the tight-knit community.

A 22-year-old tourist, Andrew Scott Cicciari from Connecticut, appeared in Tauranga District Court on May 23 and pleaded guilty to two counts of operating a vehicle carelessly and causing injury.

Cicciari, the driver of the campervan, was handed a six-month disqualification and ordered to pay $1000 in reparation to Jamieson.