THE distraught family of a Leeton schoolgirl who was struck by a car last week has pleaded for council to lower speed limits along the busy road.About 4pm on Thursday, 13-year-old St Francis College student Nikea Coram had just got off the school bus and was crossing Lillypilly Road when she was struck by a Holden Commodore, while 20 students still on board watched in horror.The girl was initially transported via ambulance in a critical condition to Griffith Base Hospital.She was airlifted to the Sydney Royal Children's Hospital at about 9pm on Thursday night in a serious but stable condition, arrving at 11.20pm.The girl sustained serious head injuries, including a fractured skull and swelling on the brain, a broken pelvis and a fractured shin bone.She had yet to undergo surgery as of yesterday as surgeons were still working to reduce the swelling on her brain.While police established a crime scene at the incident on Thursday, the 21-year-old Leeton driver was questioned by officers but released that night without charge.St Francis College principal Brenda King said all students affected would be offered counselling."We had mass (on Friday morning) and I was able give the whole school a statement," Mrs King said."Nikea is a really nice girl and we will help the family in any way we can."Leeton Shire Council road safety and traffic officer Sandra Robinson said it was a tragic accident but there had not previously been many speed-related incidents on that stretch of road.Mrs Robinson said the 60km/h zone was controlled by the Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) and council was not at liberty to change the speed."There have been a couple of crashes there but it's usually just people pulling out of Petersham Road," Mrs Robinson said."If any residents believe the speed limit on any street is unsafe, they can make a request to have it changed by RMS."Council would be happy to look at that possibility, we are always proactively looking at roads."
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Mother tells of horror as daughter hit by car
LEETON mum Tracey Stanton witnessed every parents' worst nightmare when her daughter was hit by a car after walking from her school bus on Thursday.
And the images of the horrific accident involving her daughter, Nikea Coram, 13, won't stop replaying in her head.
"I didn't see the car until it hit her," she said.
"She hit the front of the car and her head went into the window and she went flying into the air and then into the road.
"It's the worst feeling a mother can have."
Mrs Stanton was waiting out the front of her Lillypilly Road house as the bus pulled up, about 4pm.
Her husband Brendan, who is Nikea's stepfather, ran outside when he heard screams.
"It is when you are holding your daughter on the road that you think the worst," he said.
"I just held her until the ambulance came, I tried to keep her awake and active and I didn't let her go.
"She was lying on the ground and bleeding out her nose and ear."
Suffering from extensive head injuries, Nikea was rushed to Griffith Base Hospital where she was stabilised and given CT scans before being airlifted to Sydney Children's Hospital with her mother by her side.
"She's stable at the moment; we're keeping positive," Mrs Stanton said.
"She's got extensive head injuries including frontal lobe damage and a fractured skull.
"She also has a broken pelvis and a fractured shin bone."
Police investigations into the accident involving a 21-year-old Leeton driver continue.
Sergeant Brett Ryan from Griffith Local Area Command said early investigations had led police to believe speed was not a contributing factor in the accident.
"A crime scene was established and police remained at the scene until late last (Thursday)," he said.
But Mrs Stanton said that something needed to be done about Lillypilly Road because many people mistake it to be an 80km/h zone when it is really 60km/h.
She said there also needed to be greater awareness by drivers when a school bus had its lights flashing.
"So many people fly down that road," she said.
"The police haven't had a presence there even though it happens all the time and it's dangerous.
"The council needs to go out there and do something too because there's no adequate place to walk along the road."
The mother of six said that there needed to be better patrolling of the long stretch of road where her family lived.