Driven: How the world around Holly Scott came crashing down in an instant

Holly Scott is more than just a statistic — she’s an inspiration. But as she lingered between life and death after a horror car accident, it wasn’t just her world that came crashing down.

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No-one knew if Holly Scott was going to survive.

The road crash victim was in a coma. Family was preparing for the worst. Her best friend Taylor Lynn had just one thought: “Please don’t die.”

It’s a sentiment authorities want all drivers to heed this festive season as SA’s road toll soars to its highest level in years.

Holly’s survival and recovery is told in-depth in a seven-part web documentary Driven: The Journey of Holly Scott published on advertiser.com.au/topics/driven every day this week.

The video series is a flagship project of road safety campaign Enough is Enough, a joint partnership between The Advertiser, Sunday Mail and SA Police.

The campaign aims to reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries on the state’s roads. There have been 662 serious road crash injuries, and 102 fatalities up to December 13 this year.

At 22, Holly’s world came crashing down on July 2, 2017.

She was driving to boyfriend Johnny Zehle’s home at Echunga when she crashed head-on into a tree on Diggings Rd at Chapel Hill.

Grandmother Judy Scott visited Holly when her granddaughter was still in a coma.

“Holly means everything to me from the day I first saw her,” she said.

“When she had her accident and I thought I was losing her, it was the worst time of my life.”

Holly Scott and best friend Taylor Lynn. Picture: Tricia Watkinson

Ms Lynn, who regarded Holly as her sister, was frustrated because she was not allowed to see her best friend while she was in intensive care.

She was nervous when she finally got to visit Holly, who regained consciousness from a coma but had a brain injury.

“I didn’t know if she was going to remember me,” Ms Lynn said.

“She smiled at me, she was relieved to see me and I felt the weight lifted off my body.”

“It didn’t seem real, you hear of these things happening, but you don’t think that it would happen to someone you know and love.”

At an advance screening on Friday, Holly highly recommended the public to watch the web documentary ahead of the holiday period.

“I am so excited for Driven to go live soon,” she said.

“Months of hard work went into this so I could tell my story.

“Driven was really healing for me, I get to hear all the people who were interviewed and hear their perspective to be able to glue the puzzle back together for myself.”

Police Commissioner Grant Stevens said the number of deaths and serious injuries in 2019 served as a stark reminder to always remain vigilant.

“Many people think it will never happen to them, serious crashes happen to other people, but no one sets out to inflict harm on themselves or others, including their family and friends,” Mr Stevens said.

Police Minister Corey Wingard said: “I’m pleading with all South Australians to stay safe on our roads this Christmas period. Don’t leave your family devastated because you were in a rush, were distracted or were drink or drug driving.”

“Holly’s story shows that accidents happen and it’s vital to be aware of the road conditions, be aware of your surroundings and avoid situations that endanger yourself or other road users,” he said.

Holly Scott and best friend Taylor Lynn celebrating their friendship. Picture: Tricia Watkinson

HOLLY’S INCREDIBLE JOURNEY

Holly Scott was little more than an hour from death.

Right up until that time, the 22-year-old had been living a normal life.

She was in a new relationship, had a job she enjoyed and was surrounded by people she loved and who loved her.

But on the evening of July 2, 2017, Holly’s life changed forever.

“Holly was twisted around in the tiniest spot imaginable,” boyfriend Johnny Zehle recalled.

“Looking down on Holly’s legs, they were twisted in an unnatural way and swollen.

“The fact that she was still alive was pretty amazing.”

Mr Zehle had come across Holly inside the crumpled wreckage of her grey Mazda 3 sedan sticking out of scrub on a quiet Adelaide Hills road.

She had crashed head-on into a tree. The car was wrapped around the trunk, steering wheel on the wrong side of the dashboard, glass everywhere and the car hissing.

Mr Zehle had been waiting for Holly to arrive at his Echunga home after her shift at a Norwood pharmacy. But she never arrived and he grew increasingly concerned as the minutes ticked by.

Fearing the worst, Mr Zehle decided to go for a drive and look for his girlfriend.

He was just two minutes from home when he discovered the crash site.

Drifting in and out of consciousness, Holly had what is known as the “golden hour” – when someone who has traumatic injuries has an hour to get to a hospital to prevent death. After an hour, the chance of surviving reduces.

Mr Zehle’s first thought was to contact triple-0 and to get an exact address of the crash location.

He ran about 200m to the nearest property, describing it as one of the scariest decisions he had to make.

“I had to leave Holly in the car by herself in the dark and run up the road, which probably took about a minute to get to the nearest address so I could get (emergency services) straight to the right spot,” Mr Zehle said.

“From there it was a waiting game. It was 12-15 minutes but it felt like an eternity before the first ambulance came.”

Holly Scott with her father Richard, boyfriend Johnny Zehle and grandmother Judy. Picture: Matt Turner.

A Country Fire Service volunteer, who was also an off-duty MedSTAR retrieval medical officer, guided Mr Zehle over the phone after hearing about the crash over the emergency service radio.

Mr Zehle said he was grateful when the man arrived, tried to stabilise Holly and called for extra resources.

“He was guiding me step-by-step through … ‘Comfort her and don’t touch anything’,” the officer told Mr Zehle.

“I felt helpless. If the car had caught fire, there was absolutely nothing I could do.”

The rescue was a complicated yet co-ordinated effort between Country Fire Service and SA Ambulance Service.

The car had to be pulled away from the tree before CFS crews cut through the roof and removed Holly from her seat.

“We worked as a team to extricate her as best as we can, knowing that she’s time critical and she requires surgery,” SA Ambulance Service MedSTAR rescue consultant Clinton Daniels said.

“She needs to get to a trauma centre as quickly as she can.” Holly was rushed to the Royal Adelaide Hospital, where she underwent emergency surgery and was put in an induced coma for 14 days.

She had multiple fractures in her legs, pelvis and spine, her liver was torn and she had several brain bleeds, which she still continues to deal with the effects of today.

“The crash has changed me completely as a person,” Holly said. “ It changed my friendships, it changed my relationship, it changed the way that I looked at life.”

To this day, no one knows why the crash happened.

Holly Scott at home. Picture: Matt Turner

Major Crash investigators deduced from the tyre marks that Holly’s Mazda crossed to the opposite lane, overcorrected, and lost control.

Holly does not remember the crash at all – a result of her brain injury – and was told she could have swerved to avoid a kangaroo.

“It’s notan unusual set of events. You see it on country roads where people overreacted,” Major Crash officer Brevet Sergeant Wayne Liebich, since retired, said.

“The exact cause of Holly’s crash I don’t think will ever be known. We can draw theories on what we think may have happened.”

He and Brevet Sergeant Andrew Halleday earlier this year returned to the crash site, where spray paint marks and the tree involved remained.

The pair remembered Holly was unlikely to survive overnight as she was taken from the scene in an ambulance.

About 30 emergency workers were involved in the rescue and a further 20 people supported Holly in her rehabilitation.

Two years on, the 24-year-old is sharing her story to raise awareness about road safety. Earlier this year, she spoke in front of 8000 high school students at the RAA Street Smart High annual event.

She has been mentoring recovering brain injury patients at Hampstead Rehabilitation Centre as well as returning to university part-time with a goal of helping others like her.

But it has not been easy. Holly said she faced challenges of learning how to walk again and getting behind the wheel.

Holly’s father Richard Scottsaid the family’s life had changed since the crash.

“Her achievements were big for me,” he said.

“It was small things but big for her and me.”

The Driven series of videos and reports is free online for all readers. Please consider supporting our journalism with a subscription – find more information here.