An 11-year-old boy is fighting for his life in hospital after being hit by a police car responding to an emergency call.
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. The crash happened on Owen Road in Lancaster at the junction with Torrisholme Road.
The boy, who is from the area, was taken by ambulance to Royal Lancaster Infirmary and later transferred to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital. Chief Superintendent Karen Edwards confirmed the boy remains in a critical condition.
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The force has referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) following the crash.
Chief Supt Edwards, Divisional Commander, said: "You will be aware that yesterday evening a young child was involved in a collision with a police vehicle in Lancaster and I want to give you an update but before I go into detail the most important thing to say is that my thoughts and prayers are with this little boy and with his family.
"I appreciate there will be lots of questions about what has happened and why and I want to reassure you that a full and thorough investigation will be carried out to establish the circumstances. We have referred the matter to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) and they will be carrying out an independent investigation.
"We will, of course, co-operate fully with them but there may be some details we can’t go into as they will be subject to the IOPC investigation. I want to take this opportunity to thank the local community for their understanding and support during what was clearly a hugely distressing incident.
"There will be extra patrols in and around the area today and over the weekend and anyone with information or concerns should feel free to approach an officer. Anyone with information, CCTV or dashcam footage should contact 101."
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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