Angella Parsons recovering after Halifax car crash
A Dartmouth artist is struggling with serious injuries suffered when she was hit by a vehicle at a busy north-end Halifax intersection exactly one year ago today.
Angella Parsons, 38, nearly died when she was pinned up against a pole by the vehicle. A second pedestrian, a friend of hers, was thrown and suffered minor injuries.
In her first interview since the accident, Parsons tells CBC News she's still going through extensive rehabilitation after her left hand was crushed. She also had fractures to her neck, skull and pelvis and sustained a concussion.
Next week she'll undergo neurological tests to determine the extent of her brain injuries, as she continues her long road to recovery.
'My body will never be the same'
"My body will never be the same and I think at this one-year mark, that's really what I'm reflecting on."
"Some days I'm very frustrated that I can't do the things that I would normally do. I've always been a very active person. I've gained some perspective into ableism and, you know, around people who have physical disabilities that impact their day to day."
She's been unable to work as an artist, where she specializes in large-scale drawings. She won a highly sought-after residency program with full scholarship at the Banff Centre for the Arts, but could not attend because of her injuries.
On this one-year anniversary, she's spending the day with her wife, the artist Ursula Johnson, and reflecting on the profound changes the accident caused in her life.
"The thought of being a pedestrian is terrifying. When I look at, hear, how many people have been hit, how many people have even lost their lives here in the city, I do think about the bigger picture and maybe that helps me move through my own personal emotions which again are just ... they're complex. They change from day to day," she said.
Those emotions also include disappointment and confusion. She recently learned that the charge of running a red light was dropped against the driver in her case.
Anger and gratitude
"I understand this was an accident. But the frustration of knowing that nobody has been held accountable does come up as anger at times. Again, I try to focus on what I have to be grateful for, and I focus on the people who are around me that are helping me."
She says they include her health care practitioners, her wife, and her family and friends. Her goal is to one day resume her artwork in a new studio space in the home the couple just moved into.
"Hopefully this will be the space where I make that new beginning."
