Walking away from the crash that killed my friends
Australian Lech Blaine on guilt, grief and accepting his luck after surviving a fatal car accident. In the aftermath, he found himself the focus of intense media scrutiny.
In 2009, aged 17, Lech Blaine and six school friends got into a car for a short ride home. Within minutes, they were in a fatal collision. Three of his friends died, two were brain-damaged, the driver had broken bones. Only Lech came out of it without a scratch. Within hours, he found himself at the centre of a national news story and social media speculation. Traumatised by the event, he felt guilty, numb and lucky; he may have been physically okay, but the psychological scars would take many years to heal.
Lech's now a writer. His book about the accident and his recovery is called Car Crash.
Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com
Presenter: Jo Fidgen
Producer: Katy Takatsuki
(Photo: Lech Blaine. Credit: James Brickwood)
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