A young Melbourne woman thrown from her motorbike after a car turned across her path has described the “battle” that nearly broke her following two years of surgery, rehabilitation and relentless pain.
Renee Bilal was 24 when the crash occurred on a clear September morning in 2023.
She was riding her red Honda CRF300 west along Melton Highway in Bonnie Brook, Melbourne’s north-west, when a Holden Commodore pulled out and stopped across the centre of the 80km/h road.
The driver had begun turning right but braked suddenly when a truck came towards him from the opposite direction.
Renee slammed on her brakes, but there was no way to avoid the crash.
She was flung from the motorcycle, suffering a shattered pelvis, a broken right wrist and other injuries doctors have warned could affect her for the rest of her life.
Police determined the driver, who stopped at the scene to help and called triple zero, was at fault. He was issued a ticket for failing to give way.
Renee was rushed by ambulance to the Royal Melbourne Hospital, where she was admitted to intensive care.
Renee Bilal before the horrific motorbike crash in Melbourne’s west that almost claimed her life
Renee in hospital with a shattered pelvis, a broken right wrist and other injuries she has been told will affect her for life
Renee’s pelvis was shattered and she had to learn how to walk again after every operation
The crash was followed by four hospital stays, three operations and months in rehabilitation. Renee also faced the exhausting process of learning to walk again—then starting over after each surgery.
Doctors used metal plates and screws to hold her pelvis and left hip together.
But the hardware that initially helped keep Renee upright eventually became, as she put it, “my enemy”.
Renee later took on the Transport Accident Commission after it refused to accept responsibility for its role in the devastating crash.
The Victorian Government-owned organisation, which administers no-fault personal injury insurance for people hurt in transport accidents across Victoria, also refused to fund weight-loss medication after Renee gained weight following the crash.
On the second anniversary of the accident, Renee spoke to the Daily Mail about the ordeal that has reshaped her life.
“It’s been two years,” she said.
“From ICU to months living in rehab. From four hospital stays, three surgeries and more pain than I ever thought I could handle.
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“From learning to walk again, to relearning after every surgery. From metal bolts and screws holding me together, to them becoming my enemy. From finally feeling like myself again, to being paralysed once more. From losing control of my body, to still fighting every day just to manage.”
‘From panic attacks under the stares of strangers, to people questioning my right to park in a disability spot. From loved ones showing up, to loved ones walking away. From the joy of walking my dogs again, to always pushing through pain. From endless physio sessions that test my strength, yet remind me I’m still here.’
Renee said the saga had taught her the hardest lesson of all.
‘To put myself first, no matter what. To fight for myself when no one else could. I still have a long road of recovery, but I’ve already proven how far I can go,’ she said.
‘Everyone has a battle day they can’t move forward from, no matter how long it’s been. Today is mine.
‘This journey nearly broke me. It has changed me forever. But it did not take me. And it will never defeat me.’
Before the crash, Renee worked at a pet crematorium and as a waitress at a reception venue in Taylors Lakes.
She had planned to study and work with animals at the RSPCA.
Renee has not been able to return to work since the accident and lives with ongoing pain, a disability parking permit and regular physiotherapy.
Painful plates and screws were attached to her broken bones
Renee Bilal learning to walk again
Her lawyers at Arnold Thomas & Becker, who began acting for her in December 2023, have now secured a ‘life-changing’ settlement, which Renee wanted to keep private.
Principal Aki Munir said no amount of money could give Renee back the life she had planned.
‘What this settlement does is give her security, so she can focus on her recovery and her future without financial pressure,’ he said.
‘What stands out about Renee is that she didn’t just fight for herself. She pushed for that intersection to be made safer, and now there are traffic lights there. That will protect other people.
‘Motorcyclists are some of the most vulnerable people on our roads. A driver’s moment of inattention can be catastrophic. Anyone seriously injured in a transport accident should get legal advice early, because strict time limits apply.’
After the crash, Renee lodged a complaint about the safety of the Leakes Road and Melton Highway intersection.
Almost a year later the intersection was upgraded and traffic lights were installed.