Grantham officer to run half marathon after being seriously injured when lorry crashed into his stationary police vehicle

A Grantham police officer is preparing to run a half marathon for charity after being seriously injured when a lorry smashed into the back of his vehicle.

PC Christopher Windsor-Beck was off work for eight months after being diagnosed with severe Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as a result of the crash last year.

Shortly after 11.20am on November 25, Grantham response officers PC Christopher Windsor-Beck and PC Matt Brand responded to reports of a broken-down lorry on the A1 at Colsterworth.

Whilst waiting for recovery, a second lorry drove through the lane closure, and smashed into their stationary police vehicle from behind, causing serious injuries to both officers.

PC Windsor-Beck sustained three fractures to his spine, three broken ribs, a broken left thumb and severe concussion and memory loss.

Despite only recently starting running again, Chris is now preparing to embark on the Robin Hood Half Marathon, on September 26, to raise funds for PTSD UK and help raise awareness.

In a post on his JustGiving fund-raising page, Chris recalled the events from that fateful day and the severe impact it has had on his life ever since.

He said: "In November 2020 I was at work as a police officer when I attended the A1 to a broken down lorry blocking a lane. After closing the lane and awaiting recovery my police vehicle was struck from behind by another lorry causing serious injuries to myself and a colleague.

"My physical injuries were not my greatest challenge to recover from but the mental one. I spent eight months off work dealing with the severe anxiety, flashbacks, anger and irritability which was having a great impact on my day-to-day life. I was eventually diagnosed with severe PTSD."

Determined to overcome it, Chris started researching PTSD and attended numerous counselling sessions and rewind therapy to help him to process the trauma.

He added: "I found information from the charity PTSD UK very useful in understanding what I was going through and its aim to raise awareness of PTSD. For this reason I have decided to run the Robin Hood half marathon to push and challenge myself whilst also raising awareness of PTSD. I have done very little running since the crash and only just started training so I am not expecting to beat any of my personal best times, my aim is to simply cross the finish line."

Lorry driver Christopher Swain, of Stowmarket in Suffolk, appeared at Lincoln Crown Court last month where he was sentenced for two counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving and for being over the prescribed limit for cannabis.

The 38-year-old was jailed for two years, disqualified from driving for four years and ordered to retake another driving test.

To make a donation, visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/chris-windsor-beck1