Lockwood Taxi Driver Stephen Wilson Left Brain Damaged After Shoe Attack
Aug 1 2009
Cabbie Stephen Wilson’s life was wrecked when he was attacked with a shoe by an angry woman reveller.
The assault led to a serious brain injury after he collapsed and hit his head outside a nightclub.
He was left unable to speak, read or write and had to give up his driver’s licence because he could no longer control a car.
Now his wife, Yvonne, has signed up for a fundraising skydive for the group that is helping him rebuild his life.
The woman who attacked Mr Wilson, 54, nearly 18 months ago has never been found.
Mr Wilson, of Yew Green Avenue, Lockwood, who was also a qualified engineer, said: “I will never get back to normal. I will never be able to drive or operate industrial machinery.
“I have got the desire to work, but not the control of my functions.
“It has been horrible.”
Mr Wilson’s life changed forever on February 15 last year, when he was working as a taxi driver in Leeds.
He was involved in an argument with a customer outside the Halo nightclub in Leeds city centre after he went to return a mobile phone she had left in his car.
A friend of the woman slapped Mr Wilson in the face before taking off a shoe and smacking him in the head.
He fell and hit his head on the pavement, causing trauma to the back of his brain.
“When I came round, I remember the bouncers asking me if I needed an ambulance, but I said: ‘I’ve got a taxi.’
“I drove to Leeds General Infirmary, but by the time I got there, I had lost the ability to communicate and they couldn’t understand me.”
He left Leeds and drove back to Huddersfield along the hard shoulder of the M62 before being treated in hospital.
His condition continued to deteriorate over the following months.
“It’s like I have a permanent hangover now,” he said.
“I have to wear headphones on public transport because my hearing is so sensitive.
“I lose concentration very quickly. My wife has to look after me and keep an eye on me all the time.”
Mr Wilson’s condition has improved, but he still suffers from symptoms including balance problems, sight difficulties, colour blindness, slow reactions and short-term memory loss.
He is unable to write but has regained the power of speech and can read again.
And he is slowly rebuilding his life with the help of Huddersfield brain injuries support group Headway.
The group meets once a month to support people with traumatic brain injuries.
Mrs Wilson, 36, is about to undertake a daredevil skydive from 10,000ft to raise money for the group.
She said: “Life has been very difficult. I suffer from depression myself and Stephen used to look after me. Now I have to look after him.
“I have to be here whenever he goes out just in case something happens.
“Headway has been really good, really supportive.”
Stephanie Jessop, chairman of the Huddersfield branch of Headway, said: “Yvonne has been a breath of fresh air for us. We were a very quiet group and we really needed someone to help us kick start some fundraising. Yvonne has been brilliant.”
Mrs Wilson’s skydive will take place in September. To donate visit the website at
www.justgiving.com/ymwilson2009.
A spokesman for West Yorkshire Police said the attack on Mr Wilson had been fully investigated.
He added: “Unfortunately, there were no positive lines of inquiry and the file was closed. If any new evidence came to light, we would be more than happy to investigate further.”
Source; Huddersfield Daily Examiner
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