Girls speak of accident horror

4:00pm Tuesday 7th October 2008

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FOUR schoolgirls who were knocked down by a van nearly a year ago have spoken for the first time about their ordeal.

The Year 7 pupils from Bishop Justus School, Magpie Lane, Bromley, were standing on the pavement waiting for the lights at a crossing to change when the accident happened on November 12 last year.

Emily Rose managed to pull two of her friends, Victoria Costin and Lisa Burch, back as the van came towards them, but all four were knocked to the ground at the junction of Bromley Common and Turpington Lane.

Twelve-year-old Emily said: "I remember lying on the floor and seeing Lisa unconscious, which was really freaky.

"Then I saw Catherine lying there and I saw her leg and I began to panic."

Catherine Lindley, who is now 12 and who suffered the most serious injuries, including a broken leg, was taken by ambulance to King's College Hospital in central London.

She spent the next month in hospital before returning to her home in Southlands Avenue, Orpington.

Catherine was tutored at home and had to take more than five months off school.

In total she has had four operations on her leg.

She now moves around using crutches and a wheelchair and needs two people to help her move between lessons.

Doctors believe she will walk again but she is awaiting another operation.

In July, she received a Princess Diana Award for bravery at Wesminster University for overcoming adverse circumstances.

She said: "It was my birthday as well and I got a massive cake. I was really excited."

Lisa, who was 11 at the time of the accident, said: "I remember waking up and thinking Am I in bed?' I was really confused. They had to cut all my clothes off."

Victoria, who was then 12, and Lisa were taken to the Princess Royal University Hospital, Farnborough, suffering cuts and bruises.

Emily was able to go home after having a check-up at A&E.

She, Victoria and Lisa were able to go back to school after a week and found they were drawing a lot of attention from students and teachers, receiving cards, chocolates and teddy bears.

Lisa said: "On my first day back at school, one of the girls who never talks to me came up to me and gave me a big hug."

All four friends say they try to be positive about the accident and believe it has brought them closer together.

Lisa, who suffered cuts to her face and bruising, said: "I don't have any bad feelings against the driver. He didn't do it on purpose."

"He did come out to see if we were all right."

Lisa, of Fairview Drive, Orpington, added: "If we can make something positive out of this then it is good.

"If we tell other people to be careful then that is good. It drives me insane when I see boys running across the road."

Victoria, of Repton Road, Orpington, says she suffers flashbacks and avoids crossing the road at the site of the crash.

Emily, of Goldfinch Close, Orpington, said: "I will be really careful when I learn to drive.

"I won't be driving around going Oh look at my car'. I will be saying No, slow down'."

THE ACCIDENT HAD AN IMPACT ON MORE THAN JUST THE FOUR GIRLS INVOLVED....

In the moments after the accident, news trickled back to the school and soon the headteacher Kathy Griffths and deputy head Ann McCarthy were on the scene, looking after the girls.

The school's PR and events manager, Mary Vigar, said: "They stopped being teachers and became mums. They didn't want to answer questions in the school, they wanted to be with the girls."

"It was something that affected the whole school. Many pupils and some teachers witnessed the crash and it affected them."

A passerby, Laura, stayed with them, giving Victoria her coat and later visiting Catherine in hospital.

Victoria's mother, 38-year-old Lynda Costin, said: "I was really glad that there were people with them. Laura even gave Victoria her coat."

The attention and support that the girls received did not stop there.

Mrs Costin said: "Teachers came over to visit Victoria. People from the school phoning up three times a day asking.

"It was one of the first experiences of the school as the girls had only just started that term."

Lisa's mother, Jale Burch, 41, said: "The school was fantastic. They were brilliant."

Catherine's mother, Madeleine Lindley, 46, said: "The school has been good about letting Catherine come back, only doing a few lessons."

The driver involved in the accident, who is from Sevenoaks, pleaded guilty to driving without due care and attention at Bexley Magistrates' Court on June 3.

He was fined £800, ordered to pay £70 costs and had nine penalty points put on his licence.