By Rebecca SheppardTHE mother of a 17-year-old boy, who suffered bleeding on the brain, a fractured back and smashed pelvis in a car crash, has spoken of his road to recovery.

By Rebecca Sheppard

THE mother of a 17-year-old boy, who suffered bleeding on the brain, a fractured back and smashed pelvis in a car crash, has spoken of his road to recovery.

Niki Buggwas a passenger in a Metro car when it was involved in a head-on collision on the A12 at Little Glemham.

He was travelling back from a pop festival in Great Yarmouth with his friend, Mildenhall Fen Tigers speedway star, James Brundle, also 17, when the accident happened.

The crash left James with critical injuries and Niki had to be airlifted to the accident and emergency department at Ipswich Hospital to receive life-saving treatment.

Candy Bugg, who lives in Pykenham Way, Hadleigh, spoke of the horrifying moments after the crash when she was told the extent of her son's injuries.

"The first doctor came in and said that he had been brought in by air ambulance and he was in resuscitation at the time. He said that he had severe injuries to his head and lots of fractures," she recalled.

"All he said was that 'At the moment we can't say what the outcome will be, but what I will say is that there will be some sort of brain damage'.

"After what the doctor had said at Ipswich Hospital, we thought that even if we do not lose him that he would be handicapped or in a wheelchair."

Niki was transferred to Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge to receive specialist treatment. Mrs Bugg, who is travelling to visit her son every day, said Niki had began to regain consciousness on the day after the accident, which happened at about 5.50pm on June 6.

She said: "We went to see him on the Monday and he started to come round. He was a bit drugged up on morphine and he didn't know where he was or who anybody was at the time."

Mrs Bugg, 49, added her son's health had rapidly improved since those first few days. "He's got a bleed to the head and quite a lot of bruising," she said.

"His pelvis back and front and on both sides has lots of fractures with a larger one on the right side. He's fractured his lower back and has fractures in his arm.

"Obviously, he's going to be slightly different and there will be things that he won't remember, but if he can't remember anything about the accident, it might be a good thing."

Niki, who studied at Hadleigh High School and Suffolk College and had just taken up a job with a building company when the accident happened, has started to walk again with the aid of a frame.

Although Mrs Bugg said he was finding the process frustrating, doctors hope he will soon be able to walk with crutches. His memory is also returning and he should be able to be transferred to Ipswich Hospital, or even home, soon.

rebecca.sheppard@eadt.co.uk