WHEN Michelle O'Toole walked out of Chatham High School on an afternoon in November 2006, she could hardly imagine how her life was about to change.
Two-and-half years and seven operations later, walking is something Michelle can still only dream about.
Now 14 years old, Michelle has endured more hardship than most could imagine since being hit by a car near Chatham and St Clare's high schools.
Her family has been there to support her every step of the way since, but they remain horrified that too many motorists flout rules in school zones, placing many more children in danger.
Her father Robert has campaigned for changes to improve safety near the two schools, but despite the ordeal suffered by his daughter he says there are still many areas of the street that are of concern and that traffic laws are not being enforced.
Robert is quick to point out that the motorist involved in Michelle's accident was not to blame, saying he was probably travelling at less than 40 kilometres per hour.
But many other motorists are showing scant regard for the rules, he says, and Oxley and Davis streets can be mayhem at times when students are being delivered to or collected from school.
He said many are parking in no stopping zones, meaning visibility from moving cars and for pedestrians is severely compromised.
Robert also believes Davis Street is ill-equipped to cope with demand, saying it is too narrow to allow two buses to pass one another.
Having lived every parent's worst nightmare, Robert now has daily fears for every child using those streets.
He will never forget the image of his daughter screaming as she disappeared behind the car and lying on the roadway, her leg clearly broken.
Michelle received a compound fracture of the tibia and fibula, but has suffered several complications and setbacks, meaning she has been in a wheelchair or on crutches most of the time since the accident, having been on her feet for only a couple of months in all that time.
She has been under the surgeon's knife seven times both locally and in Sydney, including a nine-and-half hour operation in January and another of up to four hours in March.
Michelle's leg is now sporting a Taylor Spatial Frame, a brace she will wear for six months to hopefully correct her leg at last.
Her loss of mobility, apart from being frustrating, has also robbed Michelle of her ballroom and jazz ballet dancing, a passion since she was two years of age.
It has impacted on nearly every aspect of her life, including school, with Michelle now studying via distance education,
Despite her hindrances she is achieving excellent results, especially in science where she is topping her class and achieving marks in the high 80s and 90s.
Distance education is of course isolating and Michelle misses her friends, so she regularly returns to Chatham High to attend school assemblies.
Robert was full of praise for Chatham High and its staff, who he says have provided plenty of support to Michelle and her family.
Michelle knows more medical terms than most teenagers could imagine, but despite the hardship she remains determined to keep a smile on her face.
"I try to stay positive, there's not much else you can do." she said.
This is in spite of having to visit doctors every few weeks and spending countless hours on the road to Sydney and back, with the O'Tooles clocking up 3366 kilometres in one month.
Having lived through the ordeal, Michelle doesn't want any other student to suffer the way she has, so implores all motorists to obey parking signs and school zone speed limits.
"I wish parents wouldn't park illegally."
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