Alex Plucke said despite his fiance Melanie Ranken receiving horrific injuries in the November 2 crash, he was confident she would recover in time to exchange wedding vows at their spring 2018 ceremony.

Mr Plucke is overwhelmed by the outpouring of community support for his young family since the crash on the outskirts of Geelong.

He said he was lost for words on how to thank those who helped his fiance and their eight-month-old daughter Willow on the day of the crash south of Geelong and since the 25-year-old’s hospitalisation in the intensive care unit at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, where she has been in an induced coma.

A gofundme page set up to raise funds for the young family has already received thousands of dollars, with some of the money being donated by complete strangers who wished to remain anonymous.

Speaking to The Courier from the Royal Melbourne Hospital, Mr Plucke said no words could describe how he felt about the support from the wider community.

“I’m overwhelmed … speechless by the kindness of people. I wish I could thank everyone (who has made a donation) with a text, a call or by sending a card,” Mr Plucke said.

Ms Ranken received severe head injuries, a broken neck and broken pelvis in the crash on November 2. Her daughter Willow, who was in a baby restraint in the back seat of the car, was thankfully uninjured.

The young mum had been in an induced coma since being airlifted to the Royal Melbourne Hospital after the crash and was finally taken off all sedatives at the weekend, more than two weeks after the crash.

“Doctors are happy with Mel … it’s now up to her to do her thing and wake up. She’s a fighter, though, a very strong woman,” Mr Plucke said.

In describing his love and admiration for his fiance, Mr Plucke says Ms Ranken is loving and caring. “She is a beautiful person who always finds time for others.

“Before the accident, Melanie was a beautiful young women who was experiencing the joys of becoming a new mum.

“Her personality is one that everyone clicks with … hilarious, kind, generous, just down-to-earth. A person who was busy loving life every day.

“We can’t wait until she can come back home and again share her infectious smile and laugh and get back to some very important wedding planning and a very special girl’s first birthday.”

Ms Ranken was on maternity leave from her job at Doveton Street North clothing chain outlet, New Generation before the accident and was considering going back to work on a part-time basis.

Mr Plucke, a plasterer, said he would never forget the day of the horror crash.

“Mel had been travelling to visit family at Ocean Grove when the accident happened. I had been working in the Melbourne CBD and was travelling across the West Gate Bridge when I got the call to say Mel was being airlifted to the Royal Melbourne Hospital and we needed to get there as quick as we could,” Mr Plucke said.

As well as the initial medical team who assessed Ms Ranken, Mr Plucke said he was grateful for the expert team of doctors and nurses at the Royal Melbourne Hospital.

“… every nurse, every doctor, every radiographer who has been with Melanie since the accident … thank you.”

Mr Plucke said he was also thankful to witnesses who stopped and rendered assistance at the crash scene earlier this month.

“I am very grateful to the man who got Willow out of the car and comforted her until the ambulances arrived,” Mr Plucke said.

“He just cuddled her until a medical team got there.”

The Ballarat plasterer said without the support and understanding of his employer, Billy Anderson from Anderson Plastering Ballarat, he would not be able to spend all his time by his fiance’s hospital bed. “I can’t thank Billy enough for being supportive and understanding,” Mr Plucke said.

He said the Ballan and Meredith communities, where Ms Ranken’s family were from, were also rallying behind the family at this difficult time.

While there will be a long road to recovery for Ms Ranken, her fiance said their 2018 wedding was something to look forward to.

“We are due to get married in October next year. At this stage, it’s still going ahead and I look forward to watching Mel walk down the aisle,” Mr Plucke said.

Through the power of social media, the gofundme page set up days after the crash has already raised more than $13,000 from more than 140 donors. The gofundme link has also been shared more than 640 times.

Dozens of messages of support have also been left on the page from family and friends.

Anyone who would like to help raise funds for the young Mount Helen family can go to https://www.gofundme.com/alex-mel to make a donation.