PASSING teenagers came to the rescue after an elderly woman was hit by a car near a school.

The woman, in her eighties, was hit by a car reversing out of a driveway in Nevendon Road, Wickford.

Pupils from nearby Bromfords School were quick to respond to the incident, calling 999 and comforting the woman until the emergency services arrived.

Celia Maas, 47, witnessed the accident as she picked up her daughters Courtney, 18, and Jessica, 14, from school.

Courtney called for an ambulance, while Jessica rushed to help the woman.

Celia, of Pitsea, said: “They were really good. As well as my daughters, other children walking along tried to comfort her, while another boy from Bromfords stood in the road and stopped traffic.

“They didn’t all just walk along, all the kids helped and did really well.

“It was quite a thing for the children to see and a few of them were quite shaken up.”

Ambulance crews reported the woman was still conscious and breathing as she was taken to Basildon Hospital for further treatment after the incident, which happend at about 3.30pm on Wednesday.

Celia said: “She was taken to hospital, but it seemed to be just cuts and bruises, which wasabig relief.

“She was talking and was even saying about how it could have been one of the children.”

Bromfords School confirmed one pupil rang 999, three helped the victim and another stopped traffic.

Senior deputy headteacher Martin Coulson said: “I am very pleased and proud of our students.

“They all behaved inavery calm and sensible manner when faced with a potentially difficult situation with a road traffic accident.

“Their response helped support the people involved and also ensured emergency services attended the scene in a timely manner.

“These students areacredit to their family and school and we are all very proud of them.”