Boy fights for life

He suffered serious head injuries when a Toyota Yaris left the carriageway and mounted the pavement near the roundabout at the top of Polegate High Street.

The boy's mother was also injured.

The driver of the car, a woman in her 70s, is believed to have lost control of the vehicle and careered into a group of pedestrians near the crossing.

Blair Beagley, a member of staff at Homecare Exterior in the town, rushed to the scene after hearing screams.

She said: "I often hear lorries bump over the roundabout. There was a bump then there was some screaming and I saw a lady lying there just by the railings and people crouching down by her.

"I ran over and noticed a little boy by the car and I went to get a doctor from the local surgery.

"By that time the police had turned up and I saw the helicopter. Later on the boy was moved.

"The lady was in a lot of pain. There was a lot of blood on the boy's head. The little boy was very quiet but he was awake."

Emergency services were called at 11.15am and two ambulances from Eastbourne arrived six minutes later.

They were joined by a paramedic response unit and a doctor and at 11.43am an air ambulance arrived at the scene.

The boy was airlifted to Eastbourne District General Hospital where he arrived at around 12.20pm.

He was later transferred to a specialist head injuries unit at King's College Hospital, London, where his condition remains serious.

After mounting the pavement and hitting the pedestrians the car came to rest against a wall which surrounds fireplace business Blazes - once Polegate's Post Office.

Two fire engines also attended the incident.

Sergeant Kevin Donovan, of Polegate Traffic Police, said: "A 35-year-old woman was also taken to hospital after suffering serious leg injuries."

Police said the driver of the car was "very, very shocked" by the accident and was "deeply saddened by what happened."

Anyone who witnessed the accident is asked to contact the Polegate Traffic Department on 0845 6070999 and quote Operation Elsfield.