The sister of a teenage girl who suffered a life-changing brain injury after being struck down by a car, is petitioning for harsher sentencess for dangerous drivers.

Miriam Parker, 18, was in a coma for a month after a car ran a red light at a pelican crossing in Selsdon Park Way, South Croydon, on New Year's Day.

The collision has left her with a severe brain injury and limited mobility, meaning she will need care for the rest of her life.

The driver Amin Aminullah was served a four-year driving ban and ordered to pay a £1,400 fine in July, after pleading guilty to driving without due care and attention.

Feeling the punishment was too soft, Miss Parker’s 19-year-old sister Loren has launched a petition calling for sterner sentencing.

She said: "There should be a punishment for causing serious injury through careless driving.  

"It should include longer driving bans and having to re-do the test. With regards to jail terms, I think it depends really, I think it partially depends on if the driver has shown remorse."

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Loren feared the worst when she first heard about the accident

Nearly 11 months after the crash Miriam has returned to sixth-form at Archbishop Tenison's Church of England High School in Croydon, where she studied throughout her teens.

She has limited mobility in her left arm and struggles with balance, but is now using a wheelchair far less than in the early stages of her recovery.

Loren continued: "When I first heard about the crash it was horrible.

"I got a phone call from the police before my mum did.

"I thought she might have broken an arm or leg, but when I heard what had really happened I was sure she wouldn’t make it."

Click here to view the petition.