Mum's one plea after city centre crash ruined her life as she says she 'thought she would die'

Mum-of-two Ester Ferreira wants answers after motorcyclist ploughed into her on Holloway Head in Birmingham city centre

As a motorbike went crashing into Ester Ferreira in Birmingham city centre, such was the pain, she believed she 'would die'. Her leg had been broken in 20 places as she was 'thrown on the pavement' on Holloway Head, with her suffering a feeling of 'needles' all over her body.

The 58-year-old says her life has been 'ruined' by the ongoing effects from the crash, ranging from problems with her shoulder and ears, on December 29, 2022. Now, she wants answers as to how the collision came about as she re-appeals for witnesses to come forward.

No one was ever arrested as police said the motorcyclist was not identified. West Midlands Police has now urged anyone with fresh information to get in touch.

Read more: 'Our little boy was completely paralysed, we didn't know if he would wake up again'

Mum Ester told BirminghamLive: "I want the police to look at the cameras. I want to know if it was my fault or the guy's fault. If my fault, I've paid for that. If it's the guy fault, he needs to say because I'm 58, I don't have a life anymore, my life's changed," she said, tearing up.

"I want to say to him [the motorcyclist], I don't want to give you trouble, but tell the truth please because I can't start my life again, he can." The mum had come to the UK to work and send money back to her family over in Brazil, including her son, 34, and daughter, 27.

But since the crash, she claims she lost her job with a construction company and has since been unable to work amid the ongoing impact on her life. Recalling the 1.20pm incident, she said: "I was at the bus stop because I'm going to the shop, I crossed the first two lines going to Five Ways, after the second line, going to city centre, it was very busy. The traffic had stopped.

"When I stopped in the third line, I looked left, I looked right and nothing was coming. When I put my second step in the line, someone came with the motorbike and hit me.

"The impact threw me in the pavement. I went to hospital after two hours because the ambulance was very busy. In that moment I was in too much pain and I was thinking I would die, because of so much pain I feel.

"It was like needles in my whole body, a horrible moment. In my life, I never felt like this. I remember one lady holding my hand the whole time, all the time."

Now, since losing her job, she struggles to pay her rent, instead relying on her ex-partner to fork out £800 to ensure she isn't homeless. She said: "I speak with my family every day, they're worried [about me] but life is very hard for them as well, they are very poor.

"I need to help them. When I was working I helped them because in Brazil, their life is very hard. I don't have the money to bring them as well.

"My son is struggling. He doesn't have too much money and I need to help him. I try to improve my life because I need to improve their life as well.

"Today, all my power, all my strength, all my dreams are falling down. I don't want to make problems for anybody, I just want to help my family."

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West Midlands Police issued a renewed appeal, urging anyone who has new information to get in touch. A spokesman for the force said: "We investigated following a report that a woman had been struck by a motorcycle in Holloway Head, Birmingham on 29 December 2022.

"The motorcyclist has not been identified and we have no further lines of enquiry to follow. Anyone with new information about the incident can get in touch with us via LiveChat on our website quoting log 1978 of 29 December 2022.

"Road safety is a priority for us and partners including Transport for West Midlands (TfWM), local authorities and the region’s Police and Crime Commissioner. We are committed to reducing the number of people killed and seriously injured on our roads and this work continues."

Have you been affected by this? We would like to hear from you. You can contact us by emailing stephanie.balloo@reachplc.com