A YOUNG mother has been airlifted to hospital after being hit by a car outside a school in Farnworth.

Primrose Street was flooded with emergency services vehicles following the incident, which occurred at about 3.15pm.

The woman, in her 20s, suffered a “very serious” leg injury and was airlifted to Wythenshawe Hospital after she was hit by a car near Kearsley West Primary School.

She had run out into the road to chase her young son, who was also in the road, and suffered a compound leg or ankle fracture.

The boy was also hit by the car, a silver Ford Galaxy, and suffered a minor nose injury. It is understood he was taken to Wythenshawe Hospital by road ambulance.

The youngster is a pupil at Kearsley West Primary, and the air ambulance landed on the school field.

It is believed the driver of the Ford was a man who had picked up his three children from the school minutes before and was travelling towards the main road from the cul-de-sac.

A resident of Primrose Street, who did not wish to be named, said: “I saw it all happen – the little lad ran across the road and looked like he was running back towards the school.

“His mum called to him and he started to come back. He ran out from between two cars as she ran into the road to meet him, and that was when they were both hit.

“It was a man who was driving, someone who had just picked his three children up from school. It was not his fault – it was an accident. It looked like he was only going about 15 miles per hour.

“After the collision the little boy was in the arms of another mum, it was the woman who was badly injured. One of her parents was soon on the scene.”

A resident of nearby Church Street, who takes his four and a half-year-old grandson to the school every morning, said traffic was frequently dangerous near the entrance.

He added: “It is murder trying to park down here in the mornings – people park two wheels on the pavement and there are cars left right and centre.

“It can be dangerous. There needs to be more yellow lines to make it safer.”

A police spokesman said: “We were called to a road traffic collision involving three people at 3.20pm.

“The air ambulance had attended.

“One woman had a very serious leg injury and was taken to Wythenshawe Hospital.

“A vehicle had hit a pedestrian and the pedestrian suffered the leg injury.”

A North West Ambulance Service spokesman said: “We took a call at 3.15pm and arrived on scene at 3.30pm.

“A woman had suffered a compound leg injury and was airlifted to Wythenshawe Hospital.”

Police collision reconstruction units were still on the scene at 6pm.

Another Primrose Street resident added: “Parking near the school is a nightmare, but I have never seen anything like this happen before. 

“I do not think it was the drivers fault. It was an accident and kids are kids.”