THE mother of a young woman who suffered severe head injuries after being attacked in a Derby car park says she feared her daughter was going to die.

Surgeons carried out intricate surgery on the 19-year-old woman amid fears she had a blood clot on her brain following the assault in Chester Green.

Her mother told the Evening Telegraph that specialists had to put the teenager into a coma to help her recover and that she feared her daughter would never wake up.

The woman, who asked not to be named because the attacker is still at large, said she was told by police during the early hours of March 15 that her daughter had been injured.

The 38-year-old said: "I was told that she was at the DRI and that I needed to get down there as soon as possible.

"At that point I was numb. All sorts of things were running through my mind. You start thinking about what might have happened and how badly hurt she was.

"When I arrived at the hospital she was laid out on a stretcher and the paramedics were putting her into an ambulance to take her to the QMC because they had found a blood clot on her brain.

"When I heard about the clot I honestly thought she was going to die. She was operated on and they had to put her into a coma to allow her to recover from the operation."

The teenager was attacked in a car park off City Road at around 1.30am. She had been in a car with a 19-year-old friend when they were approached and assaulted by a man on a bicycle.

Police believe that some sort of weapon was brandished by the attacker, who used it to hit the teenager on the head. Her friend was also attacked but escaped with minor injuries.

During her operation at the Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham, doctors discovered that the blood clot was situated between the teenager's skull and brain, meaning the extent of her injuries were not as bad as at first feared.

Her mother said: "After the operation, she was put into a coma and it was terrifying waiting for her to wake up.

"She was a bit reluctant to come out of it and I was terrified she might end up being paralysed."

After being unconscious for two days and spending more than a week in intensive care, the teenager has now been able to return home. But her mother has noticed changes in her daughter since the attack.

She said: "She has always been a bubbly person, very feisty and outgoing. There has definitely been a change in her personality. I went to see a friend one evening and she would not let me leave until the house was completely secure."

A 25-year-old man was questioned by Derbyshire police in connection with the incident before being bailed. Detective Inspector Paul Callum said officers were still trying to trace two cars they believe were in the car park when the attack took place. They were an old-style red Vauxhall Astra or Vectra and a Ford Escort.

The teenager's mother said: "If there is anybody out there who has seen anything that might help the police catch this thug, I would absolutely urge them to get in touch.

"Whoever did this is still out there and could do exactly the same thing again. I was lucky that my daughter survived – the next person he attacks might not be so lucky."

Anyone with information about the attack should contact police on 0345 123 3333 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.