BERTHOUD, Colo. -- Student volunteers have helped raised more than $54,000 to help two Berthoud teenagers who lost their legs in a freak traffic accident.

Using extra minutes on their cell phones, schoolmates of Nikko Landeros and Tyler Carron joined other volunteers in a phone-a-thon at Berthoud High School Monday night.

The two were critically injured on Jan. 15, when they were crushed between two sport utility vehicles while trying to change a flat tire. Another Berthoud High student was driving the second SUV that slammed into them.

About 200 students and staff used their cell phones to call Berthoud-area residents for pledges. The money will go to pay the teens' medical expenses.

The idea was inspired by several parents, including one mother who works for the Limb Preservation Project. Organizers had hoped to raise $12,000 but by the end of the night, the outcome had exceeded their expections, thanks to students who had rallied around the idea.

"We're in a senior class of only 130, 150 students. We've known these kids since second and fourth grades," said one Berthoud student. "There's a lot of people, so I hope we bring in a lot of money."

Also on the phones Monday night was Berthoud High School's wrestling coach, who has spent time with Landeros and Carron and their families at the hospital.

"They're improving, you know. It's a long road for them. But we're praying for them that they pull through this and do really well," said coach Scott Pickert.

Carron and Landeros are both members of the football and wrestling teams at Berthoud High. They had hoped to use athletic scholarships for college.

The boys and two friends were returning from a school dance when the crash occurred. The investigation into the crash was continuing and no charges have been filed.

A Fort Collins construction company has offered to renovate both boys' homes to make them more handicap-accessible, free of charge. Some members of the community have also given them laptop computers and even iPods.

Additional Information:

A fund Nikko Landeros and Tyler Carron has been set up at Bank of the West. Donations may be deposited at any branch or mailed to Bank of the West, 1610 Hover St., Longmont 80501.