THREE quick-thinking nurses helped save the life of a 16-year-old boy who was hit by the train they were travelling in.

The women, who were travelling on the Manch-ester to Clitheroe service, helped keep the boy alive until paramedics with a stretcher could get to the viaduct, where the accident happened.

Stephanie Zak, 43, and Justine Ibbotson, 40, both from Clitheroe, got off the train to tend to the youngster, who was hit as he walked alongside the tracks on Tonge Viaduct, in Bolton, on Wednesday night.

Friend Lorraine Martin, 45, stayed on board and helped shocked and traumatised passengers.

The teenager, from Astley Bridge, remains in a serious condition in hospital after the accident, but a spokesman for the ambulance service said that the quick thinking of the nurses helped to keep the boy alive.

The group had been shopping in Manchester for the day, as Mrs Martin, who emigrated to Australia four years ago, is on holiday in the UK for two weeks.

Mrs Zak, of Eastham Street, is a mum-of-four and works as a practice nurse at the Whalley Medical Centre, King Street, Whalley.

She said: "We just did what any nurse would do in that situation. It is instinctive to help.

"The boy was uncon-scious and suffered very serious head injuries, but he was breathing and we helped to keep him stable until the paramedics could get up to the track.

"The train was going slowly because we had just left Bolton station.

"If we were going any quicker he wouldn't have stood a chance."

Mrs Ibbotson works as an anaesthetic nurse at Royal Blackburn Hosp-ital. She added: "When we got off the train we had no idea what we were going to find."

After the accident the train was able to stop and reverse to where the injured boy lay.

After receiving treat-ment from the nurses and paramedics from the ambulance service, he was transported by the train several hundred metres to an access point where he could be taken to Royal Bolton Hospital by ambulance."

A Network Rail spokesman said: "We were informed of the accident at 8.30pm and closed the line so the emergency services could reach it.

"Off-duty nurses got off the train and helped the injured boy on to a spinal board and he was transported on the train to the ambulance."