LIFE will never be the same for a family devastated by a serious road accident 18 months ago which left two young children and their father with appalling injuries.

Brother and sister Jack and Sophie Handyside received serious head injuries while their father Darren suffered numerous broken bones and internal bleeding when a Vauxhall Corsa careered head-on into their car on the A688 near Standrop, County Durham, in September 2012.

Jack, now 12, and Sophie, ten, still bear the scars of the accident and mother Julie Elstob said: “It's been dreadful. It's been like losing two children and gaining two completely different ones.”

She added: “Physically, they have both done quite well, but they will never be the same children they were before the accident.

“You can't imagine what it's like – it is impossible for people to know.”

The Corsa driver, a 79-year-old Sunderland woman, received a suspended jail sentence at Teesside Crown Court last November after admitting dangerous driving.

Following the accident, Jack missed so much school he has stayed on at the village primary in Butterknowle, near Bishop Auckland, where the family lives, for an extra year.

He continues to attend weekly physio sessions, must undergo hydro-therapy and wears a splint on his left leg.

However, he has just been passed fit enough to start playing football.

Mrs Elstob said going to Staindrop Academy in September would be a “massive move” for her son.

She said Sophie, who has another year at Butterknowle Primary, suffered an injury to the frontal lobe of her brain, which has affected her personality.

Both children attend regular appointments at Newcastle Royal Victoria Infirmary.

“Everyone is keeping a close eye on them,” added Mrs Elstob, who has taken a career break from her job as a nurse to look after Jack and Sophie and their older sister, Lucy, who was not involved in the accident.

Mr Handyside, 46, who lives in Crook, continues to suffer a lot of pain and can only walk with the aid of sticks. He also undergoes weekly physio sessions.

The family has organised a fundraising evening in aid of the North East Air Ambulance Service at Butterknowle Village Hall on Saturday, March 15 to pay tribute to the flying medics who attended the accident scene.

The event will feature the band Borderland, a pie and pea supper plus a raffle. Tickets are £10. For details, contact Mrs Elstob on 07707-793954.

A previous fundraiser organised by the family for the air ambulance service in June last year raised £3,000.