THE family of a teenager seriously injured in a tragic car accident has thanked the public for its support but say he has a “long road to recovery”.

Kyle Collier has been in a coma since June 25 after he was the passenger in a car involved in a crash in Thorrington.

The driver, Shane Scott, died at the scene just days after his 21st birthday.

Kyle, 18, suffered serious head injuries and was rushed to Addenbrooke’s Hospital.

Anita Sparrow, a family friend, said he is making great progress, and is now out of the coma.

She said: “Kyle is now on a rehabilitation unit, he has just had his tracheotomy removed.

“He has his eyes open and is recognising people, although he has limited movement on his left side and has not spoken yet, we believe he is understanding what we are saying to him.

“He will squeeze your hand or try to smile.”

She said his parents, Chris and Angela Soton, wanted to express their gratitude to everyone who has supported them and Kyle over the past month.

She set up a fundraising page to support the family.

Anita said: “Kyle still has a long road to recovery and will possibly require speech therapy and physiotherapy but his family are elated at his progress so far.

“With only a few days left for the Just Giving page to run it would be amazing if we could get to £4,000, doubling our original target of £2,000.

“Every time we see him he looks more like Kyle.”

The money raised will support Angela and Chris as they travel to and from the hospital and stay in a room with Kyle.

The family has already held a fundraiser at the Wivenhoe Mayor’s Fete on the Field, raising a total of £997.

Kyle had shown signs of hope earlier this month when he opened his eyes for the first time.

He had been fighting for his life following the crash.

Kyle, of Magnolia Drive, in Colchester, had just finished an A Level law exam at Colchester Sixth Form College and needed a lift home.

He did not know Shane Scott very well, but as he was passing by, the 21-year-old offered to give him a lift.

Kyle was due to go to the beach in Brightlingsea to enjoy the sunshine and celebrate finishing his exams.

Once Kyle was in hospital he underwent more than seven hours of surgery which included removing parts of his skull to ease the pressure on his brain.

To donate to Kyle’s family visit www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/kyle-collier.