A LEIGH man has spoken of the terrible day when he was involved in a car crash which left his girlfriend paralysed.

Kathryn Gottweiss, now 21, was paralysed from the neck down after the five-vehicle accident on the M61 north of Bolton in October, 1999.

Doctors have told her that it is unlikely she will be able to walk again -- but fiercely independent Kathryn is still looking forward to the future.

Now she is waiting for her parents' house in Spring Meadow, Darwen, to be specially adapted to allow her to return home.

Her then boyfriend David Paget from Leigh, managed to get out but before he could help free Kathryn, the car was hit by a Ford Transit van.

David, 39, of Lilford Street, is still traumatised by the accident and suffers flashbacks.

The warehouse assistant said: "Every night I think about it. Every time I'm driving down a dark road, I wonder what's around the corner."

He was also injured in the accident and still suffers pain in his knee cap. He is to have pain killers injected directly into his knee by doctors next month. David said the stress of the tragedy led to the pair breaking up and added he last saw Kathryn on Valentine's Day last year.

Kathryn has revealed that two of her biggest wishes are to get a computer so that she can keep in touch with friends and family by e-mail and get tickets to see her hero Jon Bon Jovi live in concert.

Kathryn, who is living at Birch Hall Nursing Home in Darwen until her house is ready, said: "I've been out of hospital for three weeks now and I've already been to my local pub with my friends for a few drinks. If things go to plan I should be able to go home at the end of March. I'm glad to be going home but I'm nervous about doing things for myself."

Kathryn was left fighting for her life after the accident when her boyfriend's car in which she was a passenger hit an abandoned vehicle on the motorway.

David managed to get out but before he could help free Kathryn, the car was hit by a Ford Transit van.

Kathryn was thrown into the middle lane of the carriageway by the impact.

She suffered damage to her spinal cord, a broken right arm, six broken ribs and a punctured lung.

She has spent the past 15 months recovering in the spinal unit at Southport General Hospital.

While she was there she used the unit's special computer, which she operated using her chin, to e-mail her friends and use the Internet.

Kathryn is now saving up to buy a similar machine to install in her flat. Her funds have been given a boost by Darwen Health Centre who donated the £416 proceeds from their Christmas carol service to Kathryn.

Kathryn will get compensation for her injuries but that is still two or three years away.

Her mum and dad Diane and Steven are also looking forward to their daughter returning home.

Diane said: "Kathryn is tetraplegic so she can't use her arms and legs. We have been told that after two years the consultants will be able to give a long-term prognosis, but it is unlikely she will be able to walk again."