The family of an 11-year-old boy who was hit by a police van have given an update on his condition.
Thomas was crossing Owen Road in Lancaster just before 8:30pm on Thursday (May 25) when he was hit. Lancashire Police said they were attending an emergency call when the incident occurred.
The schoolboy was taken to Royal Lancaster Infirmary and later transferred to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, in a critical condition. The youngster's family said that after several days on life support, Thomas, known as Tom, was out of a coma and placed on the high dependency unit where he has a "long journey ahead".
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Tom's family have set up a Facebook Page "You can do it Tom" as they appeal for celebrities and well-known faces to send him a video messages to aid his recovery. And the videos have come pouring in. Spider-Man actor Tom Holland shared a heart-warming message, as well as Tyson Fury and James Hooton who plays Sam Dingle in Emmerdale.
A recent post from June 4 from his family said: "It's been an emotional day today and Tom continues to make positive progress. Although Tom still hasn't spoken yet, he's smiled and cried with mum and is being the most responsive he's been so far.
"Tom smiled crazily when he was played the Hacker T. Dog video kindly sent to us via CBBC. A long journey ahead, but thanks so much to everyone for their support and encouragement and to the brilliant Alder Hey Children's Hospital staff. You can do it Tom!"
Writing on the Facebook Page they said: "The aim of this page is to flood it with celebrity videos, surrounded by positive messages of support from the community. We're hoping that when Tom eventually wakes up, he'll be able to see, hear and read the various messages to help motivate and inspire him on the long road ahead."
Anyone wishing to share a video or keep up to date with Tom's progress can do so here.
Lancashire Police previously confirmed that a Peugeot 308 hatchback patrol car belonging to Lancashire Police was responding to an emergency call just before 8.30pm when an 11-year-old boy was hit by the vehicle. IOPC Regional Director Catherine Bates said: “This is an incredibly tragic incident and my thoughts are with the boy, his family and all those affected by the incident.
“There is a mandatory requirement for forces to refer incidents like this to us, which result in death or serious injury, and our investigation will thoroughly examine the circumstances prior to the collision, including whether appropriate policies and procedures were followed.”
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