EVERY parent's nightmare turned into a reality for a Gwent mum when she witnessed her son being hit by a car.
Kelly Maggs, 32, had picked her four sons up from St Illtyd's Primary on June 11, and was travelling home to Aberbeeg, when she decided to call at a shop.
After parking on Commercial Road, she crossed the road with her son, Luke, 10, leaving her three sons in the car that she locked behind her.
She explained: “Unknown to me, my seven year old son Bradley had already undone the car door before I had locked it and he ran around the car to follow me.
“I saw the car but didn’t have time to react. I just screamed at him.”
The car wheel caught his left foot and pulled it around.
She said: “As soon as the car passed him, Bradley, jumped up and shouted I’m ok, but he was in shock.
“I scooped him up in my arms and then I saw the blood.”
She described how she started to panic and shake, while Luke, remained calm, using his own coat to stem the blood before running towards an ambulance he had seen parked up.
The ambulance was in the area on another call, but luckily crews were able to help.
Mrs Maggs said: “It all happened very quickly."
Mr Maggs collected Bradley’s brothers while Mrs Maggs went with him to Abergavenny's Nevill Hall Hospital who transferred him to Morriston Hospital in Swansea.
The car had severed a major artery in his foot, completely lifted the skin from the top and severed two tendons in his toes.
He underwent a three and a half hour operation to clean the wound, followed by a 10 and a half hour operation to take a skin graft from his right thigh to replace the skin on his left foot.
Mrs Maggs said: “His foot looked like something out of a horror movie.”
He remained in hospital for 10 days, before being allowed home, where he had to use a wheelchair.
After six weeks this was replaced with a pressure sock and he now walks with a limp.
Next month he will have a follow up consultation to discuss further surgery to address limited movement in his big toe, as tendons taken from his right ankle and placed in his foot are not working.
She said: “Our biggest worry is infection as the skin hasn't healed properly. Doctors can't tell me how well he will walk in the future and the two physiotherapy sessions a week continue.
“He's very determined and just wants to play like any other seven-year-old.”
Gwent police are appealing for information following the incident.
Anyone with any information is asked to call 101 quoting log 319 11/06/13.
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