Truck collision left Rebecca Bendikov in intensive care with the prospect of losing her leg

What started as a routine trip to the gym became a nightmare of surgeries for this Adelaide IT expert after she was knocked over by a truck.

A routine trip to the gym turned into a nightmare for a Torrensville woman after she was struck by a truck and suffered severe injuries, almost losing her leg.

In June this year, Rebecca Bendikov and her husband were crossing the roadwhen she noticed headlights coming towards her.

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Ms Bendikov said the back of the truck swung around, knocking her over and “travelled over my body”.

Conscious the entire time, Ms Bendikov suffered bruising and degloving to her left leg – an injury that involves skin and tissue being ripped away from the underneath muscle or bone.

Rebecca Bendikov has had months of rehabilitation and nine surgeries – after she was hit by a truck while crossing a road in June. Picture: Kelly Barnes

She was rushed to intensive care and faced with the prospect of losing her leg.

“My husband and I, we actually approved that if it was going to save my life they would amputate my leg,” she said. “That’s how bad it was.”

In intensive care, she was placed into an induced coma.

When she woke up days later, Ms Bendikov learned doctors had kept her leg but she faced further uncertainty while she suffered with infections for weeks.

After eight weeks in hospital, doctors confirmed she would be able to keep her leg.

Nine surgeries and months of physio later, Ms Bendikov has made remarkable progress but is still facing years of recovery ahead.

“Because I had about 60 per cent of my right leg used to fix my left leg in skin grafting, there’s been a lot of rehabilitation that needs to happen for both legs,” she said.

Rebecca Bendikov is “lucky to be alive” after she was hit by a truck while crossing a road in June. Picture: Kelly Barnes

While she has some control of her left leg, she said she needs mobility aids to walk and “externally, it just feels like I’m touching a chair or a table”.

She said it was “quite unlikely that the grafts would regain their full sensation” but she was determined to do as much as possible to regain full function of her leg.

Despite the challenges she has faced over the past seven months, the Torrensville woman said she was “lucky to be alive”.

“The fact that I have been given a second chance at life means there’s something that’s still here on this earth for me to do. I’m very, very big on giving back to others,” she added.

Ms Bendikov, who was part of the founding team for immersive tech company Lumination, said she has also been “really supported to be able to return to making an impact at work”.

She said her faith, a positive mindset and having someone to lean on has helped her through her recovery and urged anyone who has gone through a similar experience to “maintain that positive mindset”.

“Surrounding yourself with that positivity and light is the best thing when you go through something that’s pretty dark,” she said.