Girl left 'looking like the elephant man' after being hit by a car that 'did not see' a red light

These shocking photos show the terrible injuries suffered by a four-year-old girl after she was hit by a car that 'did not see' a red traffic light.

Little Lucie Lyons was left with bruises and swelling that made her 'look like the elephant man' after the horror crash just metres away from her school.

She was crossing the road with her mum Emily and siblings when the motor ploughed into her after the driver allegedly failed to stop at the traffic lights.

Distraught mum Emily saw Lucie 'fly onto the car's bonnet' before landing face down in the road in the crash in Prince of Wales Road in Sheffield, South Yorkshire

Emily, 36, said she 'thought she was dead' when she saw the horrific impact of the collision just minutes after she had picked the youngster up from pre-school.

The shocked mother-of-four said she saw Lucie 'fly onto the car's bonnet' before landing face down in the road in the crash in Prince of Wales Road in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, on July 6.

She claims the driver insisted to police that it was green, despite the traffic in the nearside lane stopping a the traffic lights.

It was Lucie's first day back at pre-school since lockdown when she was knocked over by the car in front of her mum and siblings

Now she is urging motorists and pedestrians to take extra care on busy roads - and hopes witnesses will come forward to bring the driver to justice.

Emily, a registered childminder, said: 'It was Lucie's first day back at pre-school since lockdown so I picked her up at around 2pm.

'We cross that road four times a day, it's a road we know well and we are always careful on that road.

'I always make sure my children press the button and stand well back.

'The traffic on the nearside lane had stopped, their lights were on red and the green man came on, so we crossed.

'My son Patrick was first across the road and Lucie was a couple of steps behind him, I was behind them with my two other children.

'I saw this car coming towards Lucie, he had slowed down, but I just didn't think he was going to stop.

'It was like watching it in slow motion, it got closer and closer and the car hit her in the leg.

Schoolgirl Lucie suffered two black eyes, swelling to her face and had severe whiplash resulting in a stiff and painful neck

'She flew on to the bonnet and landed in the road face down, I thought 'oh my god he's killed her'.'

Lucie was rushed to hospital for treatment to her wounds and kept in for a head injury assessment before being given the all-clear.

But she was left with cuts, bruises and swelling to her face caused by the impact of the crash.

And her distraught mum believes the crash could have been much worse and fears the driver will not face any police action as it's her 'word against his'.

Emily said: 'She had gravel in her hands and cuts and bruises, but they cleaned her up and sent her home.

'The next morning, the swelling was phenomenal, she looked like the elephant man.

'She had two black eyes, swelling to her face and she had whiplash so her neck was very stiff.

Mum Emily believes the crash could have been much worse and fears the driver will not face any police action as it's her 'word against his'.

'My eldest daughter saw the whole thing and she is traumatised, she is now petrified of that road and we have to cross it every day to get to school.'

Emily launched a desperate appeal for witnesses as she believes that around eight other cars were sat at the red light at the scene of the crash.

She added: 'One pedestrian witness has come forward and told police that the green man was on, but I need drivers to confirm it was definitely a red light.

'The driver jumped out of the car and was apologetic.

'I'm sure he's a lovely person, but he could have killer her, it could have been a lot worse.

'He told me that he had only just got the car, so I suspect he was fiddling with a control or didn't quite have the hang of it.

'He wasn't paying attention to the road, that's for sure, otherwise he would have seen the lights were on red.

'He told me that he saw Patrick as he was crossing the road, but he didn't see Lucie who was walking behind him and he didn't see the red light.'

A spokeswoman for South Yorkshire Police said: 'We received a report at around 2:30pm on July 6, 2020, of a collision between a car and a four-year-old girl in Prince of Wales Road, Sheffield.

'The girl suffered minor injuries in the collision.'