Mums' fight to save crash girl
TWO women told last night how they fought to save the life of a ten-year-old girl after she was hit by a car.
John Howard
TWO women told last night how they fought to save the life of a ten-year-old girl after she was hit by a car.
Mum Michelle Allen, 30, from Byron Road and cleaner Tracey Sinkovits, 40, from nearby Shakespeare Road, checked the pulse of injured Joanne Dockett and held towels to her head to stem the blood while they waited for ambulance crews to arrive.
Joanne had just got off a bus at lunchtime on Saturday in Ipswich's Byron Road, yards from her home.
Police say the ten-year-old then walked out from behind the bus into the path of an oncoming car.
She suffered serious head injuries and was taken to the Ipswich Hospital before being transferred by air ambulance to Addenbrooke's Hospital, where her condition was last night described as critical.
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Miss Allen, who lives next to the scene of the accident and now plans to launch a campaign and petition to improve safety in the street, said: “I had just got home and was in the kitchen when I heard a bang. I saw all different people flying out of their doors.
“I came out of my house and went into autopilot. I checked her pulse and we put a dressing gown over her and a towel on her head where I could see she had cut herself.
“I was talking to her, telling her she would be alright, although I did not know if she could hear me. It was terrible, so awful and so, so sad.”
Mrs Sinkovits had been walking home from work when she saw the accident and helped Miss Allen look after Joanne.
She said: “The lady in the car was in shock, but she could not have done anything, the little girl just walked out into her car. The girl was catapulted back and flew about a metre or so.
“It was a hell of a bang and a man was shouting “O my God, Joanne, Joanne”. Three of four people phoned ambulances and when they arrived, really quickly, we just let them take over.”
Sergeant Paul Ward, of the Serious Collision Investigation Team, said: “The girl had gotten off a bus before crossing the road.
“She was then in collision with a car which was travelling along Byron Road in the direction of Macaulay Road. We are treating this as a serious collision and are investigating the scene as best we can while we have the opportunities.”
The street was closed off until 3pm on Saturday while police carried out investigations.
