Torres Couto
Torres Couto has been facing “the biggest fight of his life” for just a few days, following a rainy tragedy on the highway. Former secretary general of UGT told how it all happened.
The former general secretary of UGT and former deputy of the Socialist Party (PS), José Manuel Torres Coutobecame quadriplegic following a serious car accident that took place two weeks ago, on the highway between Setúbal and Lisbon.
At 78 years old, the historic union leader describes this moment as “the biggest fight” of his life. Speaking to , Torres Couto told how it all happened.
“I was in the middle lane of the highway and suddenly it started to rain heavily. My wife was driving. At that precise moment, a car skidded and hit us from behind. We slid almost 300 meters down the highway, spinning, and collided with another car”, he explained.
“Right at the moment we crashed, I felt like it was the seat belt that restrained me and I soon became quadriplegic“, he remembers.
“I thought she [a mulher] would have died. But there was no longer any sensitivity from the neck down. Luckily I saw her outside the car, which gave me peace of mind. But I lost everything. I just thought I was going to die at that moment”, he adds.
Torres Couto described the pain as “extraordinary”. It’s like “receiving hundreds of electric shocks every moment”, he says, adding that he now fights a daily battle for rehabilitation.
“At first I wanted to die. But I do everything they ask me to improve my movements, with tears, pain, always close to my family, who are desperate about the situation I find myself in”, he confesses.
The driver of the other vehicle involved apologized while still in the ambulance, the former deputy told CNN, but in his opinion, greater awareness about driving in Portugal is urgently needed.
“The Portuguese are the only people in Europe who drive the same way, whether it’s a lot of rain or a lot of sun. And that’s one cause. The second cause is cell phones. The government must carry out a more aggressive campaign and there must be relentless surveillance of the use of cell phones while driving”, said Torres Couto.
