The family of a teenager who was put into an induced coma following a car crash have paid an emotional tribute to everyone who has helped their son.

In particular they paid tribute to members of the emergency services, saying, ’to these men and women we owe the biggest debt of gratitude, which no words can fully express’.

David Goonewardene, a sports-loving Warwick Academy pupil, was injured after he and three other young men were involved in a car crash last month.

He had spent the day with friends and was on his way to one of their homes for a sleepover when the driver lost control of the vehicle and struck a wall along Knapton Hill Road, in Smiths.

In a statement, a spokeswoman for the Goonewardene family said: “We are overwhelmed and grateful for the support received by the local community, who have supported our family with donations, prayers and words of comfort.

“We would also like to express our heartfelt thanks and appreciation to the firefighters and EMT team who rescued David, as well as all of the doctors and nurses at the hospital for their expert around the clock care and attentiveness.

“To these men and women we owe the biggest debt of gratitude, which no words can fully express.”

Friends of David’s launched an appeal to raise funds for medical expenses on GoFundMe before the Easter weekend.

The page said that David had been put in a medically-induced coma after he sustained head injuries and had not yet been taken out of it.

However, a statement on the fundraising page said that he was now in stable condition and was showing “small, positive signs of improvement daily”.

Doctors at the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital were arranging to have him airlifted overseas within the next few days for further treatment.

The statement added: “The staff at KEMH have been nothing short of incredible – the doctors, nurses and even cleaning staff have showed the utmost care and consideration in caring for David and we are so thankful to them.

“We ask for your continued thoughts and prayers for David and his whole family during this next phase of his recovery overseas.”

The fundraiser has also received $72,724 in donations since its launch – almost five times its $15,000 goal.

The majority of donations flooded in during the Easter weekend, when the appeal raised about $60,000 in just two days.