'Life was going perfectly. What happened to me in Ancoats changed that forever'

A good job, his first home and a brand-new car – life couldn’t have been going better for Steven Lomas.

He was enjoying his career as an Asda warehouse manager when his world was turned upside down at the age of 32. Steven was driving through Ancoats after a shopping trip in Manchester city centre when his car slid across oil and slammed into a tree.

He was rushed to hospital where it was discovered he had a bleed on his brain and he was placed into a medically induced coma for six weeks.

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Steven’s devastated parents were told to expect the worst. But miraculously, the pressure on his brain stabilised and Steven slowly began to recover.

“It was a long recovery,” Steven, now 52, told the Manchester Evening News. “The pressure on my brain was killing me.”

Although medics tried to treat Steven as quickly as they could, the accident left him with severe head injuries and a life-changing traumatic brain injury.

Five hours after arriving at the hospital, it became apparent he required specialist neurological treatment, and Steven was taken to Salford Royal Hospital.

"My family and friends were told to expect the worst," Steven, who lives in Eccles, said. "Doctors warned that, if I regained consciousness, there was no way of predicting what lasting effects my traumatic brain injury would cause.”

Sadly, the accident left Steven with lasting injuries – some impacting his behaviour and everyday mood.

These include total hearing loss in his left ear, a complete loss of sense of smell and metal plates in his right forearm. His brain injury means Steven can often have a