Family could only recognise man 'by his nose' after freak horror accident with horse

Ian Tilston was driving on the M56 when his car was crushed by a horse as he exited at junction 10. Credit: Liverpool Echo

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A 34-year-old man could only be recognised by his nose after a horse was catapulted onto his car as he drove to work.

Ian Tilston was driving on the M56 from his home in Hawarden, North Wales, to Nantwich when his car was crushed by a horse as he exited at junction 10.

As he drove down the slip road a car in front hit a horse which had escaped from a nearby field. The horse then hit the 34-year-old’s car, crushing him and his car.

Ian was rushed to Salford Royal Hospital where he had life-saving brain surgery before a number of other procedures, one of which involved reconstructing his face.

Speaking more than a year on from the accident on 10 January 2022, Ian's brother, Adam, said: "He was put in an induced coma for a few weeks and when he woke up they moved him to The Walton Centre.

"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.

"He's been at the Walton Centre for a year now. 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.

"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.

"We just want to get something in place for him. Police at the time said it was a freak accident and the fences were in fine condition but horses had since escaped."

Ian had life-saving brain surgery before a number of other procedures - one of which involved reconstructing his face. Credit: Liverpool Echo

Adam explained that Salford Royal told him the bleed on his younger brother's brain was the worst they had seen. However, Ian can now speak and is also able to partially move his right arm, something that seemed a million miles away 12 months ago.

However, despite his overwhelming progress, Ian is still cognitively challenged as a result of the damage done to his brain and has days where he thinks it's 2010.

Adam, a dad of one, 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.

"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.

"We could only recognise him through his nose. The turning point was when he was in ICU and he put his thumbs up to us."

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