Pam Warren (born 16 February 1967) is a professional speaker and author who became known in the United Kingdom as the 'Lady in the Mask' after receiving severe burn injuries in the Ladbroke Grove rail crash in 1999. She is the founder of the Paddington Survivors Group. She is a spokesperson and advocate for railway safety and the author of From Behind the Mask, a memoir of her life during and after the train collision.
On 5 October 1999, the
Ladbroke Grove rail crash
The Ladbroke Grove rail crash (also known as the Paddington rail crash) was a rail accident which occurred on 5 October 1999 at Ladbroke Grove in London, England, when two passenger trains collided almost head-on after one of them had passed a ...
occurred; thirty-one people died in the crash; Warren was among 520 injured passengers. Her injuries were so severe she was not expected to survive. She was in a coma for three weeks and skin grafts were added to her leg, hands and face. She suffered full thickness burns to these areas and underwent numerous operations by plastic surgeons. To minimise scarring, her doctors prescribed a clear perspex mask that she wore over her face 23 hours a day for 18 months. Dubbed by the media as ‘The Lady in the Mask’ this spurred the title of her book From Behind the Mask. She was in the hospital for close to three months.
Warren underwent years of reconstructive surgery including over 23 operations and was diagnosed in 2001 with
post traumatic stress disorder
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental and behavioral disorder that can develop because of exposure to a traumatic event, such as sexual assault, warfare, traffic collisions, child abuse, domestic violence, or other threats on a ...
.
Warren became an ambassador for The Scar Free Foundation Charity based in London, a charity whose goal is to heal any wound without leaving a scar. She also represents and works with the Children's Burns Research Centre in the South West of England and the Sue Ryder Hospice in Nettlebed.
References
External links
Official WebsiteInterview with Paul Sloane
{{DEFAULTSORT:Warren, Pam
1967 births
Living people
British motivational speakers
British writers
British Roman Catholics
Survivors of railway accidents or incidents