A horrified mum thought her five-year-old girl was dead after being knocked down by an off-road biker. The masked motorcyclist mowed down the little girl as she was leaving a fair on Sunday (June 2).
As she walked with her family, the girl's dad yelled 'bike' as he noticed the vehicle heading towards them. But it was too late for the girl, who was dragged 20 metres along the pavement, before rolling onto a grass verge.
"It all happened in an instant," the girl's mum told Stoke-on-Trent Live. The family - which also includes a two-year-old child and six-month-old baby - had been making their way from Central Forest Park in Hanley, Stoke, towards the town centre when the horror unfolded.
READ MORE: "I'm having another man's baby with my husband's blessing... it's the best decision I ever made"
The rider of the motorcycle is believed to be a teenage boy aged between 15 and 17 and he was carrying a passenger on the back. He failed to stop and proceeded to ride at a high speed away from the family.
The distraught mum said: "My partner chased after the boys and I screamed at the top of my lungs and ran to my daughter and scooped her in my arms. It was terrifying, she was unconscious, and I was scared to look at her face in case it was missing after being dragged.
"She has cuts and bruises all over her face including her nose, forehead, ears, under her hair, as well as on her bum, back, legs and feet. She could've needed a skin graft. Her fingers were dislocated and she has a head injury and has been vomiting constantly. She can barely walk because of all the sores on her legs.
"I can't believe they haven't apologised or explained why they hadn't stopped. If they'd slammed the brakes on they probably would've only clipped her. I'm a very forgiving person and if it was a child on his bike and he'd stopped and was panicking and scared it'd be different, but instead they're nasty and bragging about it on social media.
"They were wearing balaclavas and some people have given us names of who they think it is, so we've passed the information on to the police. These kids are vile. I don't think anyone wants them on the streets where their children are because they're just monsters and they should be done for fleeing the scene. They're heartless."
The mum added: "I hope their family members or friends who know them realise the damage they've done and they come forward. At the time I wasn't bothered about them, I was just concerned for my daughter but now she's home I want justice for her, and I want people to know what these kids have done.
"My daughter only remembers a noise and then being pulled. She said 'They haven't even apologised'. It breaks my heart because she's only little. I can't stop thinking about it. It's a nightmare and I'm so angry.
"When it happened I left my two-year-old and my six-month-old with the pushchair and just ran to my daughter because we thought she was going to be dead. I want to say thank you to the people who were witnesses and looked after my other children and pushed their pushchair to the ambulance for me whilst I was with my injured daughter."
Officers were sent to Central Forest Park shortly after 7pm. A force spokesman said: "We are appealing for information following an incident involving an off-road motorbike in Stoke-on-Trent last night. Officers were called to Central Forest Park in Hanley at 7.15pm following reports of a collision involving a young girl and an off-road motorbike. The rider of the bike rode off after it happened.
"Officers went to the scene and started asking people in the area about what happened. Thankfully, the girl's injuries were not deemed serious. Enquiries are ongoing to track down the rider."
Any witnesses should contact Staffordshire Police by calling 101, quoting incident 588 of May 2, or by message using Live Chat on the force's website. For guaranteed anonymity, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
