THE mother of a boy seriously injured in a motorcycle crash has hailed three city soldiers for saving her son's life.

Jake Fletcher was left with horrific injuries after he ploughed into the back of a lorry being used by the Army.

The 16-year-old was flung 40ft from his bike in the impact of the smash in Matford Park Road, Marsh Barton Trading Estate, Exeter. Three soldiers, based at Exeter's Wyvern Barracks, rushed to the boy's aid after hearing a loud crash at the back of their vehicle.

Serjeant Major Rich Clements, Serjeant Nick Trivett, and Sergeant Darren Dowle, all of 43 Brigade, had been carrying out HGV driver training with a double-length lorry at the time of the collision.

The servicemen used life-saving skills — normally reserved for the battlefield — to tend to Jake until paramedics arrived.

Ambulance crews told the soldiers that had they not been there the teenager could have died.

As the youngster begins his long road to recovery in hospital, Jake's mum Melissa Driscoll spoke of her gratitude to the infantrymen.

The 38-year-old, who works in admin at the Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital, also made an emotional plea for teenagers to learn from her son's accident.

"I feel that without the soldiers being there it could have been a different scenario for Jake," she said.

"To have them there when it happened — I couldn't have asked for more.

"We are so grateful to them, for everything they have done.

"He was trying to stand up and if he had managed to get up, God knows what damage he could have done. He could have been dead."

Jake smashed several bones in his body, including his collar bone, which has required surgery to pin and plate.

He also suffered a compound break to his leg and has required plastic surgery to have skin grafts for his thigh.

The teenager has undergone several operations and doctors feared at one point they would need to remove muscle from his leg.

Serjeant Major Clements, of Lympstone, near Exeter, told the Echo the soldiers immediately put into practice their extensive first aid training.

The 39-year-old, who has served in Northern Ireland, Bosnia and Iraq, said: "Jake's body flew the length of the lorry and his bike went another half a length again.

"His leg was wrapped up around his body. It was a very nasty sight but we are trained to deal with that kind of thing.

"He was lucky not to have been killed.

"The most important thing was keeping him still as he kept trying to move."

He added: "We gave him reassurance. He knew he was badly hurt and started screaming out in pain.

"The paramedic told us that if it wasn't for us being there, he probably would have died."

The soldiers, who have almost 70 years of Army experience between them, have been to visit Jake in hospital.

Sergeant Dowle, 37, of Exeter, said: "You train for this kind of thing, but you don't expect to encounter it in that environment — in Marsh Barton Trading Estate. It was quite horrific for a young lad."

Ms Driscoll added: "I have told Jake that he will never ride a motorbike again as long as he lives under my roof.

"He is happy with that for now.

"What happened to Jake is a massive advert for how young people have got to be careful on the roads.

"The injuries he has got are horrific.

"I hope his accident will stop at least one youngster from driving like a lunatic," she said.