A driver says he has had flashbacks after rescuing a child he claims was playing next to a main road in Nottinghamshire. Aaron Hawkins, 43, claims he spotted the child, who he said was no older than five, walking up the side of the A453 outside the Little Toes Day Nursery on Green Lane, Clifton at around 11am on Tuesday, September 13.
According to Mr Hawkins, the child was about to step into the road when he stepped in and moved him away from the busy route. Mr Hawkins, who lives in Wollaton and has his own young son, said he could not believe the situation he witnessed.
"It happened at around 11am right next to the nursery, I was turning right into Green Lane where the nursery is and there was a little boy who was running forwards and backwards along the pavement. I was thinking 'where are the parents?', and then he's run to the crossing as I've gone through and I've thought 'oh my god'.
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"I did a U-turn and spun around to park in front of the nursery, by which time the little boy had run towards the A453, and I just managed to run and get him in time. His next footstep would have been into the road and there were lorries, cars, and buses coming, another second and he would have been in the road.
[A member of staff] came out and said 'I'll just take him back him back in' as if the bread had arrived. The woman who had seen it and been there with me broke out in tears, I was just in disbelief."
Mr Hawkins claimed he had asked staff to pass on his details to the boy's parents. He added that he was having flashbacks to the experience, as he was the father of a similarly aged boy.
"I passed on my number to give to the boy's parents because if it was my boy I would want to speak to the person who intervened. What if somebody had picked him up and gone with him.
"They [ kept saying they were following all procedures but there was a child who wasn't old enough to really speak running about next to the main route, at the A453.
"I had flashbacks yesterday, playing it over in my head, it was that close of a call. It was surreal because it was like a child playing in a park or play area, but in the complete wrong setting."
When faced with the allegations made by Mr Hawkins, a member of staff commented there were 'inaccuracies' in Mr Hawkins' account, but declined to comment further.
A spokesperson for Little Toes Day Nursery Clifton, added: “Following an incident on 13/09/22 the nursery are currently liaising with Ofsted and other agencies and are therefore unable to comment at this time.”
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