AS Chris Sutton rests his bandaged ankle at home today he is fully aware of how lucky he is not to have been seriously injured when he was knocked off his bike at a notorious accident blackspot.

By Jo Macdonald

AS Chris Sutton rests his bandaged ankle at home today he is fully aware of how lucky he is not to have been seriously injured when he was knocked off his bike at a notorious accident blackspot.

The 13-year-old had been cycling to Claydon High School from his home in Gipping Road, Great Blakenham, yesterday morning when a bus clipped his bike and sent him flying to the ground.

He had approached the junction outside the Greyhound Pub, in Station Road, Claydon, and was about to turn right when the accident happened.

"I was cycling with a friend and he had pulled ahead and gone round the junction," Chris recalled. "Myself and the bus pulled into the turn right lane at about the same time and both stopped momentarily.

"As the bus pulled away the end of it clipped my handle bars. I fell off my bike onto the island verge and something hit my foot.

"It all happened so fast I didn't notice what happened."

People immediately rushed to his aid as he lay in excruciating pain waiting for an ambulance to arrive.

He said: "I was in a lot of pain with my ankle. Originally I thought the wheel of the bus had gone over my foot.

"The bus had gone over the wheel of my bike though and had completely crushed it. If my foot had been on the pedal, instead of me falling off, it would've been my foot."

Chris's mother Beverley, a teacher at Dale Hall Primary School, in Ipswich, had been on her way to work when she received a call saying he had been hit by a bus.

She is aware of how dangerous the spot is where her son was injured and believes something needs to be done to stop more people being injured.

Mrs Sutton said: "That junction is a nightmare.

"Buses and countless amounts of traffic use it as well as lorries. It's a very busy junction and you can't see very well in either direction.

"There has been some traffic calming in the village but it's still not enough. There's a zebra crossing at the Co-op so why not put one in the centre of the village? At least children will be able to get across the road."

"I never wanted him to bike to school," she said of Chris, who had only cycled to school this week, having previously walked. "This road is a nightmare and there are huge lorries using it for about 90 per cent of the journey to school. They are a huge danger to kiddies on bikes.

"There are a great number of children out here in Great Blakenham and they've all get to get to school in Claydon."

Pupils at the schools in Claydon have recently carried out a project looking at the dangers on their journeys to school but it is not known what safety measures, if any, will be put in place as a result.

People remain aware, however, of how dangerous the Station Road junction is and know Chris is lucky not to have been seriously injured.

As it is he has chipped the bone at the back of his left foot and stretched the muscles and ligaments. He is off school today and is likely to have his foot in bandage for up to three weeks.

Mrs Sutton said: "At the end of the day we're just thankful he's okay. He is very lucky not to have seriously hurt."

Chris added: "I know I've been very lucky.

"Not many people can say they've been hit by a bus and come out okay."