Sledge crash friend 'recovering'

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/england/south_yorkshire/7873449.stm

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A teenager, seriously injured in a sledging accident in which her friend died, is "out of immediate danger and showing signs of recovery", police say.

Nikki Burns, 16, was one of five girls on a makeshift sled which crashed out of control in a park on Tuesday.

Francesca Anobile, also 16, was fatally injured as the contraption ripped through a mesh and barbed wire fence.

Nikki is in hospital in Sheffield, but does not recall the crash and does not yet know her friend died, said police.

Dozens of horrified families looked on as the five teenagers hurtled down the slope at the Rother Valley Country Park in South Yorkshire at speeds estimated at up to 50mph.

Eyewitnesses said Francesca suffered terrible injuries as she hit the fence and was thrown from the improvised sledge.

The other four girls continued to slide down the slope for another 60m until they crashed into a wooden fence at the bottom of the hill.

Two of the girls, both 16, escaped with minor injuries.

Nikki, from Waterthorpe, Sheffield, and another girl, aged 17, remain in hospital.