A father has thanked the emergency services who saved his son’s life following a road accident.

Daniel Roots, 17, of Greatstone, a motor mechanics student at the Ashford campus of South Kent College, suffered a head fracture, 12 fractures in his face, a broken jaw, a collapsed lung and a cracked pelvis when the motorcycle he was riding was in collision with a car at Ashford Road, New Romney at the end of last month.

The Air Ambulance arrived within minutes and rushed him to the Royal London Hospital. The teenager was kept sedated for five days due to the severity of his injuries and doctors and his family feared the worst.

However, last week he was released from hospital and is now being looked after at home by his parents.

His dad Philip Roots said: “I would like to thank the land ambulance and the police, the air ambulance and the doctors and nurses who looked after him in hospital.

“What saved his life was the fact that he got to hospital as quickly as he did, that he was wearing proper leathers and a quality crash helmet and that he landed on grass.

“I am so grateful to everyone who helped him.”

Mr Roots has supported the Kent Air Ambulance in the past, through his CCTV company ClearCom Digital Ltd and is planning to make another donation following their help.

The cause of the accident is still being investigated by the police.