Southport crash: Little girl, 4, struck by car when elderly driver lost control as bystander’s heroic act is revealed
Southport crash: Little girl, 4, hit by car as elderly driver lost control as bystanders’ heroic act revealed
A young girl has suffered serious head injuries after being hit by a car driven by an elderly driver, which lost control and drove onto the sidewalk.
The terrifying incident took place Wednesday afternoon at the Southport Library on Suter Street, north of the Gold Coast.
However, the situation could have been much worse for the four-year-old girl without the heroic actions of a stranger who helped protect her from the impact.
Unfortunately, the 39-year-old man also suffered serious injuries to his head and back.
He was taken to Gold Coast University Hospital in serious condition, but both the man and the young girl are now in a stable condition.
A young girl suffered serious head injuries after being hit by a car, driven by an elderly driver, who lost control and drove onto the sidewalk
An 87-year-old man driving the car lost control of the vehicle before swerving to the curb and into the outside area of the library.
The car then crossed the sidewalk and ended up in an outdoor area covered in shade before hitting the girl and man.
The man, who does not know the girl, intervened to protect the four-year-old in what police described as an “extreme act of courage.”
“Investigations show that the man actually observed the vehicle and ran to the rescue to try and avoid hitting the child,” said Queensland Police Sergeant Beau McNamara.
“The vehicle is believed to have driven onto the sidewalk from the parking lot.”
The driver of the car and a woman were not seriously injured, but the two suffered minor injuries. They were taken to Robina Hospital.
The terrifying incident took place Wednesday afternoon at the Southport Library on Suter Street, north of the Gold Coast
However, the situation could have been much worse for the four-year-old girl without the heroic actions of a stranger who helped protect her from the impact.
Paramedics said they were more concerned about the young girl’s condition.
Mitchell Ware, acting superintendent of the Queensland Ambulance Service, said the girl needs specialist treatment.
“What presumably happened is that the driver just lost control and in an attempt to regain control, at one point reversed the vehicle and as a result crashed into the awning here in the library,” he said.
Paramedics and Queensland Police officers remain on the scene to investigate how the accident happened.
No charges have been filed at this stage.