Three-year-old struck by vehicle near primary school, mother states she was “millimetres from being crushed”

A mother reported that her daughter came “millimetres from being crushed” after being knocked off her scooter by a car outside a primary school. Isla, 3, was hit on a pedestrian crossing in Rochford, Essex, as she and her mother, Lily Alden-Smith, were on their way to collect Isla’s brothers from Holt Farm Junior School. The toddler was propelled backward and fell down the side of the car on Ashingdon Road, sustaining a bruised face and a concussion. Essex Police stated she was transported to a hospital as a precaution and confirmed that officers were called to the scene. Ms. Alden-Smith, 30, expressed concern that her daughter had been seriously injured. “She was literally millimetres from going under the car and being crushed, so it could have been a fatality,” she said. She added, “I picked her up and she was just still and I honestly thought it was really serious because she wouldn’t move.” Describing her reaction, she stated, “I was in so much shock and I just went silent and everything was quiet around me – people were talking to me but all I was doing was just looking at Isla.” Ms. Alden-Smith recounted that the car involved drove away initially before “a few of the mums chased it” and the driver eventually stopped. The mother of three also noted the incident’s impact on her daughter: “She is a sturdy girl so she bounced back but she won’t go on a scooter anymore and she hates doing the school run.” She continued, “She doesn’t want to go out because she’s scared it will happen again. She is struggling mentally.”