THE father of a Farnham girl who sustained life- threatening head injuries in a traffic accident in Bentley last week has expressed his heartfelt thanks to all those who helped to save her life. Martin Fisher, who owns the Farnham Bathroom Company in Bridge Square, said that although his daughter Natalie, aged 18, was still in intensive care, she would have died if not for the attention she received at the scene from members of the public. The collision, which took place last Tuesday evening close to the Bull Inn at Bentley, saw the red Peugeot 206 that Natalie was travelling in flip onto its roof and skid across the carriageway before smashing into a telegraph pole. In The Herald's reporting of the crash last week, an off-duty fireman from Farnham Green Watch described how one bystander climbed inside the wreckage of the car in order to comfort one of the victims. Natalie Fisher had been sitting in the front passenger seat and was taken out of the vehicle and put into a recovery position before the emergency services could arrive. The female driver of the Peugeot and other passengers suffered broken limbs and other minor injuries. "I want to thank everyone who was there at the time because these people all helped to save her life," said Mr Fisher. "Although she is still quite ill, those people at the scene of the crash really helped her." He went on to explain that his daighter remains in a very serious but stable condition at the Neurological Intensive Care Unit in Southampton General Hospital. "She is being very well looked after by an experienced team down there, but there is no question that without the care she was given at the scene she wouldn't have made it. We're all being very optimistic and hopefully she'll pull through soon." Four girls involved in the incident, including Miss Fisher, are friends at Alton College, a school that believes strongly in educating young drivers about the dangers of the road. The principal of Alton College, Jane Machell, said that her thoughts are with the family and friends of those who suffered in last week's crash. "Both myself and the staff at the college are very relieved that this did not result in a fatality and our thoughts are with the families and friends of those affected," she explained. "My personal view is that the Government should raise the minimum driving age to 18, which is not an unusual view at all. I'm a parent myself and I know that many parents would share my views." She explained that Alton College now has a quiet garden, set up after the death of a student in a road collision two years ago, and has an on-going programme of education to help young drivers understand the danger of inexperience. "We have a programme educating young drivers where we bring in the police and the DVLA to press upon young people, who often have a sense of immortality, that they are driving machines that can kill. The law in this country is far too liberal compared with some countries in the world and it needs to be changed." Police are still appealing for witnesses to the collision to come forward and anyone with information should contact Hampshire Police on 0845 0454545 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.
