OFF duty nurses ran to the aid of a mum and young daughter who suffered serious injuries after being hit by a car off North Road.

Officers were called to Crab Street, St Helens at around 5.20pm on Monday, March 12, to reports of a collision between a black Fiat Punto and blue Vauxhall Vivaro van.

The Punto then collided with a 43-year-old woman and her seven-year-old daughter close to the junction with North Road.

The woman is in a "critical condition", while the girl, who has suffered serious head injuries, is in a "serious but stable condition".

They have been taken to hospital where they are receiving treatment for their injuries.

On Tuesday morning Local Policing Superintendent Louise Harrison gave an update to councillors during the safer community’s overview and scrutiny panel.

She said: “Mum is seriously ill in hospital. She is very, very poorly at this moment in time.

“The little girl is in Alder Hey. I believe she has a fractured skull and we are hoping she should make a full recovery.

“There were a number off duty nurses at the scene and staff acted very, very quickly in trying to administer CPR.”

Supt Harrison said several members of the public also assisted emergency services during the incident.

She said: “That’s credit to the community that we have here that people responded so quickly.”

The drivers of the vehicles stopped at the scene to help police with enquiries and officers are keen to speak to anyone who may have witnessed the incident.

Roads Policing Sergeant, Phil Mitchell said: “We would be interested in speaking to anyone who was travelling on Crab Street / North Road around 5.20pm yesterday and who may have captured the incident or the lead up to it on their vehicle’s dash cam.

“We are also looking to speak with pedestrians who may have witnessed the collision, as this occurred on a busy street at a busy time of day.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact Matrix Roads Policing on 0151 777 5747, Merseyside Police social media desk via Twitter @MerPolCC or Facebook Merseyside Police CC. You can also call 101 quoting incident reference 763 of 12 March or contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously, on 0800 555 111 or via their online form at: https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information/give-information.