A GP who was injured in a fatal train crash in June has said she feels "honoured and lucky" to have received a Pride of Britain award. Dr Eleanor Prior, 41, was in the front carriage of the London-bound service that collided with a stationary intercity train near Bedford.
The crash resulted in the death of driver Shaun Burton, 60, and left 162 people injured. Dr Prior was thrown about eight metres by the impact but proceeded to care for passengers and triage patients, continuing to assist emergency services upon their arrival.
Dr Prior sustained a broken right hand, for which she has undergone operations, and injuries to her foot, knee, and back. She still has no grip in her fingers but is attempting to return to work. She refused an ambulance for herself, walking across a field on a suspected broken foot.
She expressed a wish for people to "remember and recognise" that victims are still suffering in hospital, rehabilitation, or at home. Passenger Mel Ross stated that "If it hadn't been for Eli, people would have died."
A report from the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) in October revealed that a train involved in the crash had accelerated past a red signal that had not displayed a red light to any train before the incident.