'In that moment I thought I was dead' Girl, 12, tells of terrifying moment she was hit by a car

A 12-year-old girl has revealed what it was like being hit by a car following the horrifying incident. If it wasn;t for a passerby who applied pressure to Olivia Potts' head after the accident, the outcome could be a very different story.

the schoolgirl was walking along a road in Salford, Manchester at around 5.30pm on May 27. She stepped out onto the road misjudging the distance of an oncoming vehicle.

But by the time she realised and tried to jump out of the way it was already too late. Olivia fell onto the motor's bonnet, flipped and landed on her head.

Thankfully, a passerby stopped to help. He applied pressure to her injury while others called for an ambulance.

Olivia told the Manchester Evening News : “In that moment when it happened, I thought I was dead." When Olivia’s mum Rachel Cooper learned what had happened, she initially thought it was a prank.

But the 37-year-old rushed straight to the scene once she realised the situation was very real. Rachel, from Walkden, said: “We didn’t believe it at first because she likes playing jokes.

When she phoned and said she had been knocked over, we said, ‘Course she has’. I was panicking. If there weren’t good people there like the man that kept pressure on her head it could have been different.

“The driver stopped and stayed there and the police turned up after she was in an ambulance. They closed the road off and everything.

She just misjudged where the car was. It was an unfortunate accident. She’s scared to go out – we need to encourage her to get back out there because it’s not the road she needs to be scared of.”

Olivia was rushed to Manchester Children's Hospital where she received seven stitches to her head as well as treatment for bruising, cuts and grazes.

The youngster said: “In that moment when it happened, I thought I was dead. I opened my eyes and I saw my best friend in shock. She was so petrified – she saved my life.

“I would like to thank everyone who helped me... I honestly don’t know what to say except from thank you. My head is stitched up now and I have crutches. I just need to relax but thank you to everyone who helped me.”

A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police said no arrests have been made and enquiries into the incident are ongoing.