Toddler's miraculous escape as car mounts pavement

A TODDLER miraculously escaped death after being struck by a car in the town centre.

Georgina Williams, three, was hit after a car mounted a kerb and flattened a sign post just after 1pm on Wednesday.

Her sister, Sara, 22, was with her at the time and said: "It is a miracle she is still alive."

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Little Georgina, of Hollington Old Lane, was hit by a blue Proton Persona driven by an 80-year-old man who had crashed into another vehicle seconds earlier.

Police said he had dropped off his wife in Russell Street and reversed hard into a black Renault Espace parked behind him, smashing the front of the car and sending it out into the middle of the street.

The man, from Hastings, then drove his automatic into Albert Road where he lost control, mounted the kerb next to the Odeon, flattened a sign post and hit the toddler.

The car hit Georgina's head and banged it against the wall of the cinema, nearly ripping off her right ear.

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The Proton came to rest with all four wheels on the pavement and Georgina trapped between the car and the cinema wall.

Sara, of Sedlescombe Road South, spoke of her terror when she saw the car coming towards her little sister.

She said: "We had come out of Mr Bean's with Georgina and her twin Charlotte and were walking past the cinema. I told her to walk near the wall to keep away from the traffic. I saw the car come out of Russell Street and I wondered what he was doing.

"He was coming right at me and I got out of the way and I saw he hit Georgina. I was in a panic. It scared me because I couldn't get to her to stop it from happening.

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"Georgina was knocked against the wall and had dropped to the floor. I thought she was going to be dead."

Sara called their father, Clive, 44, in his taxi and he came straight to the scene. He said: "Sara rang me and was crying and said there had been an accident. I asked if the girls were okay and she just told me to come. There were hundreds of people about but I managed to get to Georgina. I had her in my arms on the way to the hospital. Thank God she is alive."

Dragan Gvozdenovic, 38, manager of Riley's snooker hall on Albert Road, was an eye witness to the incident. He said: "It was horrific. He came across the road and one of the front doors was open.

"He hit the post and a little girl. The child would have been dead if the car had not hit the post."

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PC Chris Storey, from Bexhill Road Policing Department, who is the investigating officer, said: "He has come out of Russell Street, lost control, tried to correct himself, and when he turned he mounted the pavement. He has flattened a post and his steering has collapsed."

Eight people called 999 and an ambulance was on the scene in two minutes. Georgina was taken to hospital at 1.30pm and received stitches for her ear. She stayed overnight but was running around happily in the Conquest's Kipling ward yesterday before being discharged.

Firefighters from Bohemia and The Ridge helped close the road and clear the area. The road was reopened after 30 minutes.

The driver suffered shock but was not taken to hospital. He was not arrested but police will be speaking to him again after gathering eye witness accounts of the incident.

p Witnesses should call PC Storey on 01424 456086.