Teen tells of being rammed with car on pavement

A TEENAGER who was mowed down in a hit-and-run has told how the driver mounted the pavement and tried to kill him.

Sean McCleary was struck, leaving him badly bruised. Picture: Julie Bull

Sean McCleary, 13, was sent sprawling when a motorist swerved on to the walkway in Davidson’s Mains and deliberately rammed him with his car.

The Broughton High School pupil was left dazed, badly bruised and with an “egg-sized” lump on his head following the road rage attack.

The driver then fled at speed.

Sean was rushed to hospital for treatment following Sunday’s incident, which left him in agony and struggling to sleep, and he has not yet returned to school.

He believes the driver targeted him in a case of mistaken identity after a gang of around eight youths were seen nearby pelting cars with stones or possibly sweets.

“I don’t know if he was aiming for me or another boy but he was definitely aiming,” he said.

“The car reversed to try to chase them and then he span around and drove on the wrong side of the road.

“Another boy moved out of the way and then the driver hit me.”

The car is understood to have mounted the pavement opposite the Norhet Bar in Main Street – leaving thick tyre marks on the path – before ploughing into the youngster.

Sean believes he briefly lost consciousness but said he heard a “screech of tyres” as the driver made off towards Drylaw.

But he credits his solid metal scooter for shielding him from the impact of the collision.

He said: “The car hit the scooter, knocking it away from me, and then it hit me.

“I’m grateful I had it with me. It probably saved my life”. Sean’s mother, Angelina, 37, an assistant nurse at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, said she believed the driver tried to seriously injure or even kill her son.

She told how she feared the worst when a woman who witnessed the incident knocked on her door to tell her Sean had been hit by a car.

“What the driver has done is dangerous but it could have potentially been a lot worse,” she said.

“If it wasn’t for Sean’s scooter the outcome might have been very different.

“It’s crazy. Who reacts like that? Shout at them maybe but don’t chase them in your car and try to run them over.

“You wouldn’t mount a pavement unless you wanted to kill or seriously hurt someone.”

Police are investigating the incident and have appealed for witnesses to come forward.

The vehicle is described as being a dark-coloured people carrier type similar to a Citroen C4 hatchback.

The driver is said to be white, between 20 and 30 years old with a slim build and short dark hair.