A YOUNG girl has been transferred to Queen’s Hospital in Romford after being hit by a bus at a level crossing in Colchester.

The three-year-old girl was crossing the railway line at Hythe Station with her mother and another sibling when the accident happened at about noon today.

The family, who are from the area, were crossing the line on foot when the young girl was hit by a double decker bus coming in the other direction.

Two ambulances, duty operations manager Pete Bumphrey and emergency care practitioner Steve Colmer were sent to the scene following a call just before 12.15pm.

She has now been transferred to Great Ormond Street Hospital in London.

Mr Bumphrey said: “The three-year-old girl suffered serious head and chest injuries. She was stabilised on scene before being taken to hospital.

“There were passengers on the bus, and the driver was treated on scene for shock, but did not need hospital treatment.

“Steve travelled with the crew to help provide further treatment and care, and we alerted Colchester General Hospital so that a full paedeatric team could be on standby.

“The little girl’s mum was naturally very, very upset and was taken to the hospital by police officers.

“Everything worked very well from an operational point of view and it was dealt with very swiftly. I was there in about five minutes, and the crew was there just seconds before me.”

Trains were stopped for several hours while police investigators worked on the scene.

Police are particularly keen to speak to a cyclist who signalled to the bus driver to stop following the collision. It is thought he could be a vital witness.

Any witnesses are urged to contact Colchester police on 0300 333 444.