Lauren Stacey, aged 10, is in Sheffield Children's Hospital's high-dependency unit nearly three weeks after the accident.

And her devastated dad, Barry Stevens, still faces the heartbreaking task of telling his daughter her 36-year-old mum, Nicola Stacey, has died.

Barry, aged 36, lost his girlfriend of 16 years when Nicola was killed in the crash in Attercliffe.

Read tributes to Nicola and add your own message in our book of condolence

Lauren, who was in the car with her mum, suffered life-changing injuries and a bleed on her brain meant medical staff had to induce a coma.

Although Lauren is now conscious, doctors have been unable to predict how she will be affected either physically or mentally.

Barry revealed: "She doesn't know what's happened to her mum - we don't know if she remembers the crash or not because she can't speak to us yet."

Nicola's sister Jessica added: "You can see her looking at all the faces that come to visit her and you just think, 'She is looking for Nicola'."

Barry said it was devastating to see Lauren - a "girly girl" who loved dancing and riding her bike when she wasn't at school at Hartley Brook primary - lying in a hospital bed.

"She is so loving, she was always putting her arms around you, telling you she loves you," he said.

"She was full of energy and to see her now breaks your heart. It would break Nicola's heart."

Doctors have told the family - sister Rebecca, 14, and aunts Jessica, Emma and Sarah - that Lauren could be left permanently disabled.

"Long-term we don't know what will happen - the speech and movement part of her brain have both been affected," said Barry.

"She is going to be in hospital for months and doctors said she is likely to be left with some sort of disability but they don't know what.

"At first they said she could be in a permanent vegetative state, but luckily now she's showing signs which mean that's not the case, but we just don't know any more. It's all completely unknown."

He said he believes Nicola and Lauren were on their way to McDonald's when the collision happened at the junction of Attercliffe Common and Weedon Street at around 10.50pm on Sunday June 29.

Barry had been busy plastering their home in Valentine Crescent, Shiregreen, that day and the family hadn't had chance to sit down for a meal together as usual.

Remembering the terrible night he was told his daughter was critically injured and his partner was dead, Barry said: "I knew she'd been gone for a long time so I went down the road to her sister's to see if she'd called there on her way back because it's only three doors down.

"When they told me she wasn't there either I knew something was wrong.

"Then, as I was walking back up to the house, Rebecca came out with the phone. It was the police and they asked me to come down to the Children's Hospital - at that point they didn't mention Nicola.

"I walked into the resuscitation room and they were fighting for Lauren's life. Five minutes later they told me about Nicola and I just fell to bits. My whole world was turned upside down in an instant.

"The weeks since have been a living nightmare."

Barry, who met "shopaholic" Nicola on the dancefloor at the old Roxy's nightclub, added: "She was a doting mum who lived for her kids.

"She was always up for a laugh and had a heart of gold. She would do anything for anyone.

"She was caring and generous and she was my best friend - now I've lost her my life will never be the same again."

Nicola's funeral takes place on Monday with a service at Grenoside Crematorium at 1.45pm, followed by a burial at Wisewood Cemetery.

Nicola will be laid to rest on the same day as a 17-year-old boy from Rotherham is due to be sentenced at Doncaster Youth Court for three counts of making false reports to the fire service in connection with the hoax call that led to the tragic accident.

Donations in Nicola' memory can be sent to the Sheffield Children's Hospital or the Sick Children's Trust - who have provided a room for the family during visits at the hospital - in lieu of flowers.

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