Driver released on bail after schoolboy hit by car

A man in his 70s who was arrested after a collision which left a nine-year-old boy critically injured has been released on police bail.

The incident happened just after 4.15pm on Tuesday at Toberdoney Road in Liscolman, near Ballymoney in Co Antrim.

It is understood the youngster, a pupil of Straidbilly Primary School, had been playing football close to a bus stop when he was knocked down by a car.

The child was taken to the Causeway Hospital, before being transferred to the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children.

A spokesperson for the Belfast Health Trust today told the News Letter that the boy remained critically ill.

The PSNI confirmed that the driver had been released on police bail pending further inquiries into the incident. They are appealing for witnesses.

TUV Alderman Sharon McKillop, who personally knows the boy’s family said: “I was shocked to hear of the accident on the Toberdoney Road.

“I hope this tragic accident will cause people to remember the importance of road safety particularly during the dark evenings of the winter months.”

North Antrim DUP MLA Mervyn Storey added: “My thoughts and prayers are with the young boy who has been injured. This is a very sad situation for all involved.”

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