RESIDENTS of a Darwen street are calling for traffic calming measures after a seven-year-old girl suffered a broken leg in a road accident.

The youngster collided with the left side of a Mazda as it was driven along Lightbown Street at around 6.30pm on Friday.

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An ambulance was called for the child who had broken her leg in two places, it was later confirmed. She was taken to Royal Blackburn Hospital where she remained on the children’s ward yesterday.

The girl had been visiting her grandmother who said: “It all happened so quickly. I’m just in shock. It’s a real shame for her, bless her, but she’s been lucky, really. It could have been a lot worse.”

Police said the driver stopped at the scene and said no one had been arrested.

Witness Joshua Taylor said: “I was sat in my car and I saw the girl at the side of the road, as if she was about to cross.

“I noticed that a car was coming up behind me and got worried.

“I tried to shout out to the little girl to warn her but it was too late. It looked like the car ran right over her leg.”

Although it is not known what speed the Mazda was doing at the time of the incident, Joshua’s mother, Barbara Taylor, who lives in the street said: “In the past few months, I’ve noticed a lot of cars zooming up here, spinning round at the car park at the top and speeding back down.

“It’s ridiculous. There should be speed bumps on this street because it’s only small and cars park at the side of the road so you might not see if someone was about to cross. It’s really dangerous.”

Lightbown Street was in the news recently after the home of Sean Twomey, a lorry driver who lived in the road, was gutted after a suspected arson.

The injured girl’s grandmother said the youngster had been raising money to help Mr Twomey by selling her old toys.

She added: “She’s a really sweet little girl and she has been so worried about Sean.”