STUDENT Louise Hunter is fighting for her life after suffering severe head injuries in a road accident.

Surgeons at the Royal Preston Hospital carried out an emergency operation to elevate a depressed fracture of the skull after Louise, 19, was transferred from Burnley General Hospital.

She is still on a respirator and very poorly.

Louise is a student at Manchester Metropolitan University, where she is taking a degree in biological science.

She previously attended St Hilda's High School and St Theodore's Sixth Form College, Burnley.

She has been working for her Duke of Edinburgh gold award but has not yet completed all the necessary sections.

Louise lives at Holly Hill, Barrowford Road, Padiham, with her mum Mary, sister Sarah, 16, step-father Thomas Macadam and her step-brother Patrick, four, who attends Oak Hill, Whalley. Mr and Mrs Macadam are proprietors of Oaklands Nursing Home, Burnley, where Mrs Macadam is matron.

She said: "Louise had gone to visit her friend Jennifer at Colne and they must have decided to go out.

"They were returning home when the accident happened.''

Jennifer Berry, 20, of Barrowford Road, Colne, was driving her Peugeot 106 when it was involved in an accident with a private hire car in Sycamore Avenue, Burnley.

Jennifer suffered facial injuries and taxi driver Zafar Ali, 30, of Leyland Road, Burnley, had chest injuries. Both were allowed home after receiving treatment at Burnley General Hospital.

Louise's mum travelled in the ambulance with her when she was transferred to Preston at about 3am.

She stayed until after the operation and after a short time at home returned to Preston to be at her daughter's bedside.

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