Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
National
Patrick Edrich

Mum screamed down phone after hearing son, 10, get hit by car

A mum heard the moment her son was hit by a car while talking to him on the phone.

Leah Griffiths said she was talking to her 10-year-old son on the phone when she heard him get hit by a car. The 26-year-old mum told the ECHO she normally meets her son Luke halfway on his walk home from Monksdown Primary School.

Leah, from West Derby, said since her son has gone into year 6 he has wanted to be more independent. She added on Wednesday, December 7 he was telling her on the phone what he was going to buy from the shop when she heard a "bang" and his phone clatter to the ground.

READ MORE: Family living in house 'like an igloo' after heating turned off

Leah told the ECHO : "I was on the phone when it happened. I heard the phone hit the floor. I was screaming his name down the phone and I heard him crying. It was very difficult to be on the other end of the phone and not know what had happened. It's every parents' worst nightmare.

"I was still about 20 minutes away from him when it happened. A stranger stopped me and saw me crying. They asked me what happened and told me to get in the car and they would take me down there."

Merseyside Police told the ECHO Luke was hit by the driver of a Ford Kuga while crossing the road on Muirhead Avenue East at around 3.20pm. The driver of the car stopped at the scene to assist police with their enquires - and a spokesperson for the force confirmed to the ECHO there was currently no further update regarding the crash.

Leah said when she arrived at the scene there was "around 15 or 20 people" already there, including staff from his school and the nearby Muirhead Dental Practice. Leah said dental staff were the first on the scene and gave Luke gas and air until North West Ambulance Service arrived.

The ECHO understands Luke went under the car and suffered a head injury as well as extensive grazing to his back and shoulders. But miraculously the 10-year-old did not suffer any broken bones.

Leah said it was "comforting" to see so many people looking after her son when she arrived - but she felt "guilty" to have not been there with him. She added: "I was sobbing when I got there and saw him in the gutter. As soon as I got there we got in an ambulance and went to hospital.

10 year old Luke Griffiths,recovering at home after being knocked down by a car.(Pic Andrew Teebay). (Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)

"Luke was quite calm. He was most upset about his coat being cut away from him. They cut away his clothes to get to his back. He didn't want his coat ruined."

Luke was taken to Alder Hey Children's Hospital where he had surgery the following day for his head injury. Mum Leah said soon after his surgery he wanted to get up and walk around but was bed bound. He was discharged the following day and has been recovering at home since.

The football-mad boy who likes to keep active has found it hard to sit still while recovering. But Leah said he has been "nothing but positive". She said: "He wants to get up and walk about and get back to playing football.

"I've found myself sobbing sometimes but he tells me to calm down and it's all okay. It was so lucky his injuries aren't worse as he's only small. But he's doing really well and I'm so proud of him."

Receive newsletters with the latest news, sport and what's on updates from the Liverpool ECHO by signing up here .

READ NEXT:

Three schoolboys dead after falling into an icy lake in Solihull

Woman, 26, fighting for life after being hit by van

Police close roads after crashes in bad weather conditions

Family forced to huddle together in same bed after heating and hot water turned off

Rhod Gilbert given stage four cancer diagnosis after finding 'lumps'

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.