A BOY fighting for his life after he was crushed by a quarter-tonne gate has managed a kiss for his mother.

Josie Jefferson, holding a vigil at her son Christopher’s bedside, was also overjoyed because the nine-year-old also managed to mouth the word “mam” to her.

He briefly regained consciousness following surgery to relieve pressure on his brain. Christopher, of Lambton Terrace, Craghead, near Stanley, is being sedated to aid recovery.

His condition is slowly improving and his parents say doctors at Newcastle General Hospital’s intensive care unit are pleased with his progress.

Mrs Jefferson, 43, said: “It was very nice for me to see him do that, but we are having to take it day by day.

“The staff have been absolutely brilliant. There is always someone there watching over him.”

His father, Steven, said: “The doctors have increased his sedation because he tried to get up, but they want to keep him under while he recovers.

All we can do is wait by his side.”

Christopher suffered a fractured skull and broken wrist after he was trapped under a steel gate near his home on Sunday afternoon.

The impact of the falling metal also shattered his cheekbone and broke his nose.

His identical twin, Joshua, was with him at the time and watched as Christopher gave their father the thumbs up before he was airlifted to hospital by the Great North Air Ambulance.

He was given a blood transfusion and had 11 stitches in his eye socket. His condition is now described as stable.

Mrs Jefferson said: “It did not sink in at first. I think Joshua was in shock. He does not want to stay at home because his brother is not in their room. He is worried about him.

“This has certainly brought us all closer together. Sometimes you do not realise what family means until something like this happens.”

The circumstances of how the accident happened are still unknown.

Mrs Jefferson said: “It is so difficult to see him lying there. It is like a nightmare. I just want to know what has happened to my boy.”

Steven Moore, headteacher of Greenland Junior School, where Christopher and Joshua are in year four, said the thoughts of all the staff and pupils were with the family.