THE mother of a recovering crash victim has spoken of the anguish of watching her daughter fight for her life.

Nicola Smith told the Telegraph she did not think her daughter Bethany was going to survive after suffering serious injuries in a crash in which two 16-year-olds died on Scunthorpe's Dawes Lane.

Bethany, whose cousin Laura McGowan and friend Josh Parkin died in the accident, is now in a stable condition at Hull Royal Infirmary

Mum Nicola, 40, of Priory Lane in Scunthorpe, said her daughter was "a fighter".

She said she can still remember the moment the police arrived to tell her about the crash on August 21.

"I was devastated," she said.

"I said please tell me this isn't true.

"I didn't think she was going to live, but she's proved us wrong."

Beth sustained multiple injuries in the accident, including a broken back and ribs, a punctured lung – as well as fracturing all the bones in her face.

But doctors still do not know if she will walk again.

"She's a mess," said Nicola.

"The right side of her body is really weak at the moment – she can't use it.

"We don't know if that will be a permanent thing and we don't know how things will turn out with her spine.

"Doctors have said they are unable to operate because her back is so small that they cannot pin it, so she has to wear a spinal jacket for the next three to four months."

It is likely to be a lengthy recovery process and mum Nicola has constantly been at her daughter's bedside.

And she said she has seen a vast improvement in her daughter's ability to communicate over the past few days.

She said: "There is a lot of improvement. Beth will now communicate with us by making funny faces.

"She squeezes our hand to answer yes or no."

Beth, who has two older brothers and a younger sister, started studying at North Lindsey College in July.

She was doing an entry to employment course and was soon due to go on work placement in travel and tourism.

Beth is unaware of the double fatality following the accident.

Her family do not even know if she remembers what happened as she can still not talk after surgery.

She was travelling in a blue Honda Civic which was involved in a collision with a blue DAF heavy goods vehicle close to the Corus coke ovens.

Now Nicola's boyfriend Ian High, 39, and his friend Ian Simpson, 30, will take part in a 50-mile sponsored walk from Scunthorpe to Hull to help fund aftercare for Beth.

The walk, via Goole, South Cave and North Cave, will take place on Saturday, October 2.

Ian, who spearheaded the fundraiser said: "Beth is the reason why we're doing it – she's going to spur me on."