Girl left in car wreck with deceased friends for 48 hours leaves hospital for first time

One of the survivors of a horror crash which killed three has now left hospital for the first time this week to attend the funeral of a lifelong friend who died in the accident.

Sophie Russon, 20, suffered catastrophic injuries after the car she was in crashed on the A48 (K) near the St Mellons area of Cardiff. Rafael Jeanne, 24, Eve Smith, 21, and Darcy Ross, 21 all died in the collision, whilst Shane Loughlin, 32, and Sophie were both left badly injured.

Sophie has been in hospital recovering from the horrific injuries she suffered in the crash seven weeks ago but left hospital for the first time to attend Darcy’s funeral last week.

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Sophie's mum Anna Certowicz criticised police for their handling of the search for her daughter and her friends. The five were not found for 46 hours after their car crashed into woodland, reports Wales Online.

Sophie's childhood friends Eve and Darcy were found dead in the early hours of Monday morning nearly two days after they had gone missing. Driver Rafael, who was laid to rest in an emotional funeral earlier this month, was also found dead and his friend Shane was seriously injured.

“I think it’s something she had to do,” Anna said of Sophie's decision to attend Darcy’s funeral. “She survived and her two best friends didn’t.”

Sophie was found semi-conscious outside the wrecked VW Tiguan. She had bruising on her brain and a build-up of fluid, which was drained in 14-hour life-saving surgery. She also suffered a broken arm and leg fractures, and is in a back brace to make sure her bones set correctly. Two weeks ago, she moved to a specialist rehab unit, where Anna says she is doing well.

Sophie met Eve and Darcy on