Pupil’s leg broken in hit and run near school

PARENTS have called for urgent measures to improve safety on a busy road outside a city school after a pupil suffered a broken leg in a hit and run.

The 13-year-old, who is a second year pupil at Stewart’s Melville College, was crossing Queensferry Terrace when he was hit by a blue car. The driver drove off northwards towards Queensferry Road.

The pupil, who was on his way to school yesterday morning when the incident happened, was taken to the Royal Infirmary, where he was treated for a suspected broken leg.

Local residents said motorists were prone to speed on the road, with some parents parking on double yellow lines when they drop off or collect their children from the school, obstructing views.

David Gray, principal of Erskine Stewart’s Melville Schools, said he had spoken with the pupil’s father who said he was in a stable condition.

He said: “I’m relieved that the boy was not more seriously hurt. It does highlight the fact that there is a lot of traffic on Queensferry Terrace at rush hour, and whatever can be done to make crossing the road safer would be appreciated.”

SNP councillor for Inverleith, Stuart Roy McIvor said he had received around 80 emails from concerned parents about the urgent need for a crossing and has been urging the city council to install one for the last eight months with no success.

He said: “It’s chaos on the road when kids arrive or leave school.

“Thank God it wasn’t worse. What happened is bad enough but this is a wake-up call. We are talking about lives here.”

Fifth year pupil at the school, Kieran Kerslake, 16, said: “Last week another boy nearly got hit by a car. There is a need for a crossing because of the congestion and the amount of pupils crossing the road.

“I saw the boy lying on the road after the accident, I was a bit shocked.”

Lesley Easton, 41, who lives in nearby Ravelston and whose two daughters are pupils at Mary Erskine and Stewart Melville Junior School, said: “It was absolutely inevitable with people parking on corners, on zig-zag lines and double yellow lines. It was an accident waiting to happen.”

Another parent, Fiona Harrison said she “felt sick” when she realised the driver hadn’t stopped at the scene. She said: “I don’t think any civic-minded person would run away from a situation like that.”

The vehicle involved in the incident, which took place just yards from the school at around 8.10am, has been described as a blue, medium-sized car.

Police are checking nearby buildings to see if any CCTV cameras captured the collision or the vehicle making off.

A spokeswoman for the city council said: “A number of traffic safety measures are in place to make sure that the area around Stewart Melville’s College is as safe as possible. These include a puffin crossing, traffic lights and a 20mph speed limit.

“Unfortunately, there are instances where reckless driving causes accidents, regardless of the measures in place, so it is vital that pupils are also educated about the importance of road safety.”

A police spokesman said: “This schoolboy sustained a serious injury as a result of this collision and it is vital we trace the driver of the vehicle to establish the full circumstances surrounding this incident.”