A woman has described how two of her grandchildren could have been “burnt alive” when their car burst into flames after an accident in Gedney Drove End.
Jacky Kent (64) was driving behind her granddaughters Chelsea (15) and Roxanne Kent (19) from Holbeach who were going to a friend’s house when their car hit a trailer being towed by a tractor in Main Road on November 2.
The girls and another passenger, Wallice Tingle (15), also from Holbeach, were treated at the scene by paramedics before they were taken to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King’s Lynn with serious injuries.
Chelsea, a student at University Academy Holbeach, was later transferrred to Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, where she spent five days in a coma on life support.
Mrs Kent, of Low Lane, Holbeach, said: “The girls were meeting a friend to pick up some stuff for a car boot sale when their car ran straight into the back of the trailer that was reversing into a narrow gateway.
“I was following them and saw their car go up in flames which made it worse.
“Wallice and Roxanne were in an awful lot of pain and crying out for help, but Chelsea just lay on the grass until the ambulances came.”
Chelsea suffered spleen and bowel injuries that required surgeons at Addenbrooke’s to operate on her twice.
Roxanne, who was driving the car, suffered internal injuries and bruising, while Wallice had injuries to her pelvis and spleen.
Mrs Kent said: “Chelsea had the worst injuries and she was critically ill at one stage.
“They operated on her the night of the crash and did another, four-hour operation, two days later.”
All three girls are now out of hospital and Roxanne is set to start a new job next week.
Mrs Kent said: “The girls have been through a hell of a lot and I’m still getting people ringing me up who know them to ask how they are doing.
“It’s quite scary to think that if they’d been trapped, they would have been burnt alive.”