A PEDESTRIAN was thrown 50ft after being struck by a hit-and-run driver, according to police.

And a witness has told of the horrific moment Kimberley Yates, 21, was hit in Redlam, Blackburn, yesterday.

Police have now launched a hunt for the driver of the black car - possibly an Audi - which they said appeared to have been travelling at excessive speed. Kimberley was taken to the Royal Blackburn Hospital with serious injuries.

Police said she was tonight critical but stable.

She was crossing the road by the Local store when she was struck at 7.05pm.

A woman who saw the incident said the vehicle did not even slow down after the crash.

She said: "Kimberley had come out of the shop and was waiting to cross the road.

“She was very cautious and looked both ways. A car came past, she waited for it to go, looked again and then went to cross the road.

"The black car seemed to come out of nowhere.

It was going so fast.

“Kimberley was thrown so high into the air it seemed she was never going to come down.

"She landed on the road and another car had to swerve to avoid her. The black car just kept on going."

It is possible the car sustained a broken windshield at the moment of impact, police said.

Officers believe the car, which had been coming from the direction of the town centre, may have headed up Buncer Lane after the crash.

Sergeant Pete Sculpher, road policing unit, said: "The young woman was thrown about 50ft along the road. “The car appears to have been travelling at excessive speed. It continued driving and does not appear to have slowed down.

"The young woman was taken to hospital with serious injuries and is said to be in a critical but stable condition."

The road policing unit is appealing for anyone who may have witnessed the incident, or who may have seen the black car before or after the crash, to contact them via the police switchboard on 01254 51212 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 .