A minibus crash in next week’s episodes of Coronation Street is to put many of the Underworld factory workers in danger. But one of the worst injured will be machinist Sinead Tinker, who is left fearing that she may never walk again.

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Scenes to be shown on Friday 23 January see Sinead being told by doctors that she has a bone pressing on her spine and is in need of an urgent operation. But will Sinead make it through? Or is the crash about to claim a victim? Here, actress Katie McGlynn reveals all about Sinead’s horrific ordeal…

So, before the crash happens, how excited are the factory girls about their trip out?
They are all really excited - they rarely all go out together. Kirk is upset though that the minibus left without Beth, who sprained her ankle, so he wants is to go back to get her.

How does Sinead come to take off her seat belt?
Kirk realises he’s picked up Beth’s phone by accident, so he gives it to Sinead to turn it off for him. But when the minibus takes a sudden swerve, she drops the phone and it slides under a seat before Sinead can switch it off. The phone then keeps ringing under the seat and people start to get annoyed, so Sinead says she’ll get it. She undoes her seat belt so she can quickly reach down but the phone keeps slipping across the floor. She doesn’t have time to put her belt back on when she sits back up in her seat, so when the bus swerves again, she’s without her belt.

What’s the crash scene like?
It’s huge, it’s scary and it does look really petrifying. It was a huge stunt and it took a big team to pull it all together, but I think we’ve done it justice.

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Is Sinead aware of the crash when it happens?
It all happens so quickly that she doesn’t have time to process it. When she regains consciousness, though, she does know she’s been in a crash and she is able to remember it, but she doesn’t remember anything between the crash and getting to hospital.

So at what point does she regain consciousness?
Sinead is unconscious during the aftermath of the crash, so when people are coming to and trying to get out Sinead’s still out of it. Kirk tries to get her to wake up but nobody wants to move her at first in case she’s broken anything and they are scared it will make her worse.

But then, once a couple of people are free from the minibus, they climb back in to help people out and Julie and Kirk drag Sinead out. At that point she’s still unconscious, even though everybody else has more or less come round. She doesn’t come round until she’s in the hospital and she asks what’s going on. She’s scared and I think she just wants answers - she wants to know how badly injured she is, but she knows it’s serious because she says she’s in so much pain and she can’t feel anything in her legs.

Who’s with her to offer support?
Kirk and Julie and everyone else from the party are obviously at the hospital and then Chesney and Beth appear at her bedside. She’s so relieved when she sees Ches as she’s so scared, but she feels more relaxed when he arrives to support her.

What do the doctors tell Sinead and how does she react?
They ask her to tell them how much pain she’s in and tell her that she’s badly injured her back. She has some tests and the doctors tell her she needs an operation. She’s so scared - I think she’s really worried that she might never walk again. Obviously, that’s a terrifying thought to have and she’s really devastated that this has happened.

How supportive is Chesney throughout all this?
He’s always going to be there for Sinead and she knows that. I think Sinead is worried about being a burden to him, which makes her even more upset. But Ches is so supportive and she’s his only focus. I think this will make them even stronger as a couple. Sam Aston and I love working together too - we’re really good friends.

What are Sinead’s chances of being able to walk again?
I don’t know yet - she has a long way to go and she will need a lot of help along the way.

What was it like filming the crash?
It was a really good experience and very interesting to be part of such a big stunt, as we don’t get the opportunity to do them on that scale very often. It was a privilege to be part of it. Sinead is unconscious for a lot of it though so I had to lie and act unconscious for a lot of the filming. In fact, I nodded off at one point, which was funny. She’s then in hospital for a long time so I’ve been filming in hospital for a long while. A lot of the scenes were emotional - Sinead is really upset and very scared about her injuries.

So what kind of 2015 does Sinead have in store after all of this?
She’s got a long road to recovery ahead of her and it will be really difficult. She will need the support of Chesney, but at first she will panic that she might be too much of a responsibility for Ches. However, he will stand by her through thick and thin. She will be seriously injured in the crash but hopefully she will recover in time. I was really humbled when I was told that Sinead would be the most badly injured in the crash as it’s a really big storyline and I’m grateful for the opportunity.

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You can watch a 60-second rundown of all next week’s drama on Coronation Street below. And beneath that, there's a video interview with Katie McGlynn and Andy Whyment

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