It was a decision that would have a huge impact on the rest of Mrs Cox’s life: their joy ride turned to disaster when her boyfriend lost control of the car.

“I remember flying through the air, seeing the tree, and screaming,” Mrs Cox said.

“But I also remember before we went for the drive that we were talking, (my friend) was saying ‘Oh, nothing ever happens, it’s always fine, we don’t go that fast’.

“’So it’s all good, nothing will happen’. And so we went too fast, we got airborne, I hit the tree.”

While her friend and boyfriend were lucky to escape with minor injuries, the then-17-year-old spent the following eight weeks in hospital in a coma on life support.

“And when I woke up I couldn’t walk, I couldn’t talk, I couldn’t really do anything. I didn’t know where I was, what day it was, why I was there,” she said.

She had suffered massive head injuries, a collapsed lung, fractured ribs, a broken jaw, a broken femur, a broken pelvis and an injured arm.

Mrs Cox spent about a year and a half in hospital and inpatient rehabilitation, then a further intensive 14 months as an outpatient at a rehabilitation facility.

“(It was) long, slow, frustrating – but needed. Without it, I wouldn’t be here,” she said.

She also had to undergo speech therapy for another year.

Today, her impaired walking and speech remain physical reminders of the crash.

Mrs Cox’s short-term memory has also been affected, so she uses a diary and her phone to keep track of things.

Before the crash, Mrs Cox was an active teenager, involved in several sports, and had a full-time job.

She said her speech now led people to assume she was dumb, or deaf, or had had a stroke, and prevented her from securing a job.

But Mrs Cox has turned her experiences into an opportunity to help others by becoming a volunteer speaker for Road Trauma Support Services Victoria.

She delivers talks to people convicted of driving offences to try help them understand the “consequences of speed and stupidity on the road”.

“If I can stop one person making the same mistake I’ve done, it’s worth it.”

Road Trauma Support Services Victoria offers free information and counselling to anyone impacted by a road collision. The organisation can be contacted on 1300 367 797.