Mum's terror as teenage daughter struck by hit-and-run driver

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The injured girl is having surgery to rebuild her broken ankle

A mum says she is "thankful" that her daughter is alive after she was badly injured in a hit-and-run in Coventry.

Eloise James was walking to school when she was hit by a car while crossing Beake Avenue in Radford.

Police confirmed the driver left the scene.

Eloise, 13, was left with a crushed ankle and is having surgery this evening (Friday) to rebuild it and put screws in place.

Her devastated mum, Rose James, said: "She has done that walk to school every day since Year 7 and she is in Year 9 now.

"She went to step out and the car came speeding down and hit her leg.

"She limped over the road to her friends and realised she was in pain."

Rose, who lives in St Marys Priory Road with Eloise and her other daughter Aurora who turns one this month, was first made aware that something was wrong when she received a phone call from one of Eloise's friends.

"Eloise was screaming in the background and I thought she had been robbed or beaten up," said Rose.

"Then I heard she'd been hit by a car and jumped up with the baby in my arms.

"My heart was pounding. You don't know what to think."

Rose told a neighbour what had happened and they went to the scene while Rose put her other daughter in to their car and soon followed.

She added: "I took Eloise home and gave her two paracetamol and put peas on it but the swelling just came out and out.

"We took her to the hospital and spent all day there. They put a cast on but it wasn't holding it in place properly, so she's gone in to surgery to have screws put in to her ankle and to rebuild it."

Rose says her daughter has been "absolutely traumatised" and was "crying her eyes out" before going to theatre for the operation.

She added that she is "just thankful" that her daughter is alive.

Rose says that police are set to come out to speak to them about the incident tomorrow (Saturday), but has been told by witnesses that the car involved was an 18 plate dark grey Mercedes A Class.

Anyone who may have witnessed the incident, or has any information, is asked to contact West Midlands Police on 101, quoting log number 643 of December 6.