A 34-year-old man whose car was crushed by a horse was left so badly injured that his family were only able to recognise him by looking at his nose.
Ian Tilston, 34, was rushed to Salford Royal Hospital after the accident took place on 10 January, 2022, and more than one year on his life is still affected on a daily basis.
Tilston had been driving from his home in Hawarden, North Wales, and came off the M56 at junction 10 as he made his way to Nantwich.
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As he drove down the slip road, a car travelling in front of him collided with a horse that had escaped from a nearby field.
The collision caused the horse to then collide with Tilston's vehicle, crushing both the car and the man inside.
Tilston's older brother, Adam, recalled the moment he learned about the accident as he said: "I was in work and around 9.30am my grandad rang me, it was the first time in my life I'd heard him cry. I thought the worst and thought he had died.
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"I went to see my grandparents and we waited for news. Since then our entire lives have changed. At the start, we were preparing our lives for the worst."
Family members were told the bleed on Tilston's brain was the worst doctors had seen, but Tilston underwent a life-saving brain surgery before a number of other procedures.
"He was put in an induced coma for a few weeks and when he woke up they moved him to The Walton Centre," Adam said.
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"He had a number of surgeries and they even rebuilt his face. His entire face was crushed in the crash and he had to have a piece of his skull removed for surgery. He looked an absolute mess after the accident and we only knew it was him through his nose."
Tilston has now been at the Walton Centre for a year, and although he can now speak and is able to partially move his right arm, he is still cognitively challenged and has days when he thinks it's 2010.
Adam explained: "He's had life-changing injuries as a result of this. He's lost his vision and can't walk so he needs 24-hour care.
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"They're looking to discharge him but we need somewhere for him to go. We're trying to transform our mum's house now. We want him home to be able to enjoy some quality of life."
Tilston's family has set up a GoFundMe to fund the work that needs to be done at Tilston's mother's home in order for him to be discharged from The Walton Centre.
"We just want to get something in place for him," Adam said, adding: "Police at the time said it was a freak accident and the fences were in fine condition but horses had since escaped."
You can donate to the GoFundMe page here.
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Emily Brown