Hit and run robs Liam of his smile,
THE INCIDENT HAPPENED ON HIS SISTER’S BIRTHDAY
A DERBYSHIRE paperboy has been left unable to smile due to his injuries sustained in a hit-and-run incident.
His dad, John Cotton, has spoken about how his son is getting on after the incident, which happened on Monday, December 10 – the same day as his daughter’s birthday.
Liam, 14, was just about to start his paper round, just a two-minute walk away from his home in South Normanton, when he was struck by a Range Rover.
The wing mirror of the vehicle hit him in the face as he put one foot on the road, ready to cross. The impact sent the wing mirror flying off the car and left Liam with a broken collarbone, a broken nose, two black eyes and concussion.
According to the teenager’s dad, Liam doesn’t remember anything. The dad of three said: “The impact left him temporarily unconscious, but by the time it took me to run out of the house and get down there, he was awake.
“I was just so glad to see he was sat up. He had blood coming down his face from the impact of the wing mirror. But he can’t remember a thing that happened. He just remembers waking up with blood on his face.”
John said he was sitting at the end of his bed, when he received a phone call from the newsagent. The 33-year-old said: “The owner of the shop was ringing me. He was saying where are you? And you best come down here right now. I chucked my trainers on and ran down the street not knowing what I was going to find.”
The incident took place at 7.05am in Church Street, just outside Ifty’s News, where Liam goes to collect the papers for his rounds.
The owners of the shop made a kind gesture to the family and have said that while Liam recovers, they will continue to pay him.
A spokesperson for Ifty’s news agents said: “He’s a nice young lad. We know the family and they’re keeping us updated with how he’s doing. We thought because it’s around Christmas we’d help him out.”
Mr Cotton said Church Street can be used as “a racecourse”, and said he’d seen motorists travelling down the road at speed.
He said: “Some people use the road as a race course it’s that bad. People going at speed don’t even see you because it’s such a long road.
“If Liam had been stood on the road he would have been dead, it’s a big, big car. They’ve made a right mess of him, he can’t even smile because his face is swollen.”
The family, who live in Victoria Street, came home from the hospital the same day as Liam said he wanted to be at home instead, if he was able to.
Mr Cotton: “We’re going to send him back to school after Christmas. He’s got his right arm in a sling and it will be for five weeks. We’re very lucky that it wasn’t fatal.”
Derbyshire Police are trying to trace the owner of the car. Officers want to hear from anyone who has seen a vehicle matching the description, without a nearside wing mirror, driving around the area.
Anyone with information or dashcam footage is asked to contact Det Con Sean Davis, quoting reference number 18000597183.