CHILDREN heading to school had to run out of the way of a car before it crashed, according to one parent.

Ben Shirley said it was a 'miracle' more people were not hurt after a car collided with parked vehicles outside Askam Village School early yesterday morning.

A Citroen car is understood to have collided with one or more parked vehicles in Lots Road.

The driver of the Citroen, a woman in her 50s, was hospitalised with what is to believed to be ‘serious injuries’.

“This seems like a freak accident,” said Mr Shirley.

“I had just dropped my son off at school and know several children had to dodge the moving car.

“It must have been seriously frightening for them - my heart goes out to everyone who witnessed the accident and to the person injured."

He added: "This could have been horrific. We’re thanking our lucky stars today that it was not more serious.

“The response from the emergency services was immaculate.

“I would also like to praise the school staff for keeping parents so well-informed.

“Moving forward, we are taking the necessary steps to secure the area and make the road as safe as possible.”

Police, paramedics and firefighters were called to the incident around 8.55am.

A number of residents said they heard ‘a big bang’ when the collision took place.

One resident was decorating Rankin Hall in Duke Street adjacent to Lots Road when the crash happened.

She said: “We heard a lot of sirens outside the hall around 9am just when the kids were going to school.

“At the time, we didn’t think it could be a crash.”

Another resident said: “There were fire trucks and police outside, it was very worrying.

“I just worried about the kids on the way to school.”