THE last thing Stephen Meara-Blount remembered was crossing a road with his brother Tony, a blaze of headlights, a bang and a thud.
When he woke up hours later in a hospital bed, Stephen's first thought was for his younger brother.
But Tony was gone, killed by the same drink driver whose speeding car nearly claimed Stephen's life as well.
Seven years have passed but Stephen has vowed never to let his brother's memory fade.
"I can remember it as clearly now as the day it happened," he said.
"We crossed the road and somebody shouted.
"As I looked, I remember an almighty thud and the breath taken from me.
"I landed on my back and lay there thinking that was it."
Stephen had been playing music at The Station pub, just across the street from the family house in Beverley Road.
He had been joined by his brother and brother-in-law Mike Mortimer for a drink after the end of his DJ set.
They were just feet from the kerb when the drink-driver struck, travelling at 65mph in a 30mph zone.
Stephen was hurled into the windscreen and down to the ground.
Tony hit the car headfirst. His fate was sealed by the time his body landed on the street.
"He was in Hull Royal Infirmary for a few hours," Stephen said.
"They said there was nothing they could do.
"The family had to take the agonizing decision to switch off his life support."
The awful choice was down to Tony's son Anthony, who had just turned 18.
As his father's next-of-kin, he had to give the authorisation.
"Anthony always remembers his dad saying, 'If I'm ever a vegetable, switch me off'," said Stephen, 54.
"It sounds ironic now."
As Tony slipped away, Stephen was fighting for his life in the bed next to him.
His heart stopped twice as doctors battled to save him.
"I was taken to resuscitation twice," he said.
"They were going to amputate my left leg because it was so badly damaged. I was in hospital for two months, in a wheelchair for six months and learning to walk again for two-and-a-half years."
Stephen was unconscious for hours after the crash.
When he came round, his brother was already dead.
"I woke up and the whole family was round my bed," he said.
"I remember looking round for Tony. I said, 'Where's Tony?'. I saw my mum's face and realised he didn't make it."
Stephen was still confined to his bed when his brother's funeral came around.
Even still, he feels like he was robbed of the chance to say goodbye.
"You don't get over it," he said.
"You just learn to cope more as each day goes by.
"For the first two or three years, I would just cry at the least little thing – if I saw a photo or listened to a song."
The loss his family suffered is so raw, he does not believe they will ever be able to forgive the car's driver Ian Atkinson, who was 19 at the time.
Atkinson, then of Arcon Drive in west Hull, was jailed for three-and-a-half years.
"I'm not saying I won't forgive him but because I've been through, it my energies are devoted to other things," Stephen said.
"For everybody else in the family, to see what I'm going through, it's still a constant reminder to them. His family can try and pick up their lives again and put this aside but we can't."
Stephen had bone grafts after the accident and doctors put a metal plate in his leg.
He still suffers from damage to his spine and thinning bones that break more easily.
Since he started on the path to recovery, Stephen has sought to warn others of the dangers of drink driving.
With casualty reduction officer PC Keith Ward, he goes into Hull schools to tell pupils just how dangerous it can be.
"PC Ward does a lot of presentations at colleges to students about all the dangers of driving," he said.
"At the end, he introduces me.
"I tell them briefly what happened to me and the room just falls silent."
Tony would have been 50 on Saturday and Stephen is marking his brother's birthday by launching a campaign against drink-driving.
He has produced wristbands bearing Tony's name and is sending them to celebrities in the hope they will take a picture wearing one.
After his experiences, Stephen has a simple message for those tempted to get behind the wheel when over the limit.
"Imagine your brother or sister or mum or dad taken from you because you chose to drink and drive," he said.
"If they could step into my shoes for 12 months and go through what I've been through, nobody would drink and drive.
"Why it still carries on I don't know."
Stephen still longs to see his brother again.
In the quiet back garden of his home off Beverley Road, photographs of Tony are pinned to a wall.
"Not a day goes by when I don't miss him," he said.
"We became really good mates as well as brothers.
"I've always vowed that while I've got breath in my body, nobody is going to forget him."
Visit www.tonyblountfoundation.co.uk to find out more about Stephen's charity work.
