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Children hurt in car crash as they cross road in south Wales Children injured in car crash as they cross road in south Wales
(about 7 hours later)
Five children and four adults have been injured in a car accident as a lollipop lady helped youngsters cross a road near a village school. A routine school run ended with five children and four adults, including a lollipop lady, injured after a car ploughed into pedestrians. One of the children, a nine-year-old girl, was in intensive care and the lollipop lady was trapped under the Audi saloon, which ended up on its roof.
Police said they were dealing with a "very serious accident with multiple casualties" following the crash outside the primary school in Rhoose, near Cardiff. Police were waiting to interview the 61-year-old driver, who was also hurt, but one theory is that he accidentally hit the accelerator during a coughing fit shortly after dropping his granddaughter off at the village school and lost control after hitting a speed bump.
A spokeswoman for the Welsh ambulance service said most of the children had suffered head or abdominal injuries. One of the casualties suffered a broken leg. Officers said they would speak to the driver as soon as he was well enough but did not believe he had deliberately targeted children or adults.
According to the Vale of Glamorgan MP, Alun Cairns, three of the injuries were considered significant but not life threatening. The incident happened shortly before 9am on Thursday as dozens of parents and children headed to the primary school in the village of Rhoose, near Cardiff.
The lollipop lady is believed to have been trapped under the blue Audi car involved in the accident, which flipped over, and had to be freed by firefighters. Shelly Morgan-Stone, 33, who was with her seven-year-old son, Archie, said: "I saw something out of the corner my eye and as I turned it looked like the car was flying through the air – that's the only way to describe it. I heard a horrific screaming followed by the crash of metal and the sound of breaking glass.
A witness who called emergency services said: "I was walking my dog when I turned a corner and saw a car in mid-air. The road was chock-a-bloc with kids arriving for school – there was a huge crash and loads of screaming. "One mother was on the floor on her knees, leaning over her child, wailing. It was horrible. I will never forget the sound of the mothers screaming."
"Children were lying injured in the road and parents and passersby were running to them to help. I called the emergency services and there were off-duty paramedics and parents assisting the injured. The lollipop lady was trapped – all I could see was her jacket from under the car." She said she had often seen the driver on the morning school run. Morgan-Stone said: "He goes past the school every day – it's a very recognisable car. It's driven sensibly and within the speed limit."
Children who saw the accident were ushered into the school and were kept inside while the rescue operation was going on. There were at least 10 ambulances on the scene and four fire engines, according to the witness. Vincenzo Springett, 11, said: "I just turned on to the road when I saw the car come past me. I couldn't understand why it seemed to be speeding up as it approached the traffic lights.
The accident happened at 8.50am on Thursday as children were trooping into Rhws primary school. They were crossing the busy Fontygary Road when they were involved in the accident.
According to some unconfirmed reports, the 61-year-old driver of the Audi A3 had had a coughing fit and hit the accelerator instead of the brake as he drove past the school.
The Rhoose councillor Jeff James said: "There was a situation where a driver was manoeuvring just in front of the pedestrian crossing and had a coughing fit. He put his foot down on the accelerator instead of the brake. The car shot forward and hit the lollipop lady and several children."
South Wales police said: "The 61-year-old male driver of the vehicle, who is one of the nine casualties, is assisting police with inquiries. At this stage the collision is not believed to be a deliberate act."
The lollipop lady's broken stick was lying on the road next to the overturned Audi A3. She won an award earlier this year in the Top of the Lollipops road safety awards run by the Vale of Glamorgan council.
The citation for her award said: "[She] is very proactive both inside and outside the school where she has worked for more than 10 years. She has a wonderful rapport with the children and parents and always has a small gathering at her crossing point."
The school was trying to carry on as normal but some parents arrived to collect their children.
A grandmother who did not want to be named said: "I was taking my nine-year-old granddaughter to school when I heard screaming. It was chaos. Lots of parents saw what happened and were absolutely devastated. Everybody was running to get towels and help.
"The worst was the lollipop lady – I was told the car collided with her and she has got very bad head injuries and I heard a child has been badly hurt too."
Vincenzo Springett, 11, who was walking to school when the accident happened, said: "I just turned on to the road when I saw the car come past me. I couldn't understand why it seemed to be speeding up as it approached the traffic lights.
"I saw the car tip and roll over and on its roof – then everyone was just running and screaming.""I saw the car tip and roll over and on its roof – then everyone was just running and screaming."
His mother Rebecca, 43, said: "Everyone's just in shock. Its such a small village you think your kids are safe going to school. His mother, Rebecca, 43, said: "Everyone's just in shock. It's such a small village. You think your kids are safe going to school."
"The first thing I heard was the siren – I knew Vincenzo was running late and I thought he's been knocked down. Another mother, Natalie Morgan, 35, said: "I was on the scene within a minute of it all happening and the children were very distraught and upset. I tried to hide what had happened from my daughter and took her in because the school wanted to carry on as usual.
"It is worse for the kids who saw it happen – some have gone home for the day and others are still inside the school." "I've been concerned for a long time that something like this could happen, even if it doesn't prove to be speeding. Cars speed back to and from the school in both directions all the time. Something needs to be done about that."
Rhoose is a leafy village 15 miles outside the Welsh capital and is the closest village to Cardiff airport. Glenys Watson, 64, who runs the Coffee Time cafe close to the site of the accident, said that in the confused aftermath some mothers thought a gun had been fired and a shout went out for people to "run".
Cairns, the MP, said traffic-calming measures including a 20mph speed limit were in place outside the school. He said it was an "exceptionally close community" and added: "Everyone will know someone affected by this." She added: "One mother told me that people heard a big bang and thought a gun had been fired. They all ran. Nobody knew what was happening."
The first minister of Wales, Carwyn Jones, said: "I am very concerned to hear about this morning's incident in Rhoose and I am being kept fully informed of developments. Clearly, our thoughts are with those involved." Rhoose councillor Jeff James said he had been told the driver had a coughing fit close to the pedestrian crossing where the incident happened.
"A driver was manoeuvring just in front of the pedestrian crossing and had a coughing fit. He put his foot down on the accelerator instead of the brake. The car shot forward and hit the lollipop lady and several children."
The lollipop lady, Karin Williams, 50, recently won a road safety award run by the Vale of Glamorgan council.
The citation for her award said: "She has a wonderful rapport with the children and parents and always has a small gathering at her crossing point."
A spokeswoman for the Welsh ambulance service said most of the children had suffered head or abdominal injuries. According to the Vale of Glamorgan MP, Alun Cairns, three of the nine injuries were significant but not life-threatening.
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