A 21-year-old woman has undergone brain surgery after being thrown into the air in a crash with a car in Westcliff.

Sharné Joanna had just left her mum’s house on her bicycle when she was involved in the collision in Fairfax Drive at the junction with Highfield Crescent on Friday night. 

She was thrown in the air and over the bonnet on impact causing her to suffer a serious head injury. The driver stopped at the scene.

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Thankfully, Sharné managed to use Siri to contact her parents, who frantically rushed to the scene immediately. 

Police and an ambulance were then called while Sharné was left in agony and bleeding from her head on the “cold, wet” road.

Her mum, Naomi Needs, has since shared her frustration after claiming it took almost three hours for the ambulance to arrive, despite Southend Hospital being less than one mile away. The ambulance service has now apologised to the family. 

Naomi said: “My daughter left my house at around 9pm on Friday night, and as she went to cross, a car came around the junction, knocking her flying in the air, and over the bonnet.

“She managed to call us, so we got down there straight away and waiting for the emergency services. We weren’t sure if she had hurt her back or neck alongside her head so we couldn’t move her. 

“She was in a bad way, going numb, bleeding, and in pain. It was almost three hours before the ambulance service arrived meaning she was left on the cold, hard floor bleeding for all that time. She might not be where she is now if they had come sooner, she was left there with a bleed on the brain.”

Sharné has already undergone one brain surgery, and may need another due to complications. She also due to have an MRI on her neck this week.

Naomi Needs added: “It is such a shock for something like this to happen. There are so many people talking about it with the delays of ambulances at the moment.

“I don’t know what is going on the ambulance should’ve been there, it is so close, not even two minutes. She doesn’t deserve this.”

In response, an ambulance service spokesman added: “We would like to apologise to this patient and her mother for the delay in sending an ambulance. This incident happened at at time when our resources in the Southend area were extremely busy. However, we would urge them to contact our Patient Liaison Service so that we can conduct an investigation into the incident on their behalf.”