Mum’s anger as driver allowed to flee the country after he knocked down her son

A DISTRAUGHT mum is demanding to know why a man who is alleged to have knocked down her son was allowed to flee the country.

Kelly Minto’s second-eldest child Luke was left brain-damaged after he was hit by a car on a crossing near his home.

The 10-year-old was so badly injured he had to be placed in an induced coma by paramedics as he lay fighting for life on the pavement.

He had been struck on the head, fracturing his skull and shattering his left leg.

Luke has been left with short-term memory loss and needs additional help at school.

The 31-year-old driver involved in the incident was arrested at the scene.

He was charged with road traffic offences including careless driving and having no insurance or MOT, and released on bail.

But the man, who we cannot name for legal reasons, is believed to have gone on the run in his home country of Poland.

“I’m devastated that he has just been allowed to wander out of the country and was not kept in custody. We deserve answers,” said Kelly, 35, of Whitburn, West Lothian.

Kelly, full-time mum to Chelsea, 15, Luke, now 12, Derek, 10 and Finlay, eight, added: “How can he be allowed to just disappear?

“Where is the justice in this? Like anyone in our situation we need a conclusion to what happened to our Luke.

“Surely this is why we have a justice system?”

Popular Luke was run over just before Christmas 2013.

He almost died on the spot as paramedics fought to keep his airways clear.

He was placed in an induced coma before being rushed to the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Edinburgh.

Kelly recalled: “We didn’t know whether he would live or die. We could only sit by his bedside and pray that he would recover.

“When he did he wake up six days later on Christmas Day, Luke was distressed by a terrible nightmare that all his family had been killed and he had survived.

“We had to hold him tightly through all the wires and life-support equipment and reassure him that it wasn’t true. Every time he woke up he would think the same frightening thoughts that his family had gone.

Luke Minto at home with his family (C Austin / DC Thomson)

“One of his first words were ‘I thought I had missed Christmas’ and I assured him he hadn’t.

“You didn’t miss Christmas. You have just given mummy the best Christmas ever.

“Luke fought bravely to survive and doctors worked tirelessly to make that happen.”

As Luke desperately battled to stay alive, the driver of the car was arrested and charged.

He was released on bail awaiting trial when he fled. It’s not known if a “red flag” preventing him from travelling overseas was placed on his passport.

The authorities in the UK have also declined to comment on whether an alert has been issued to their counterparts in Poland over the case or if they have even discussed it.

Kelly, who is married to Derek, 39, said: “We have been told by police that the driver returned to Poland but the case remains open.

“Our son’s life has been changed forever by his head injury.

“But we will never understand why he was ever allowed bail.”

Scottish Tory MSP Alex Johnstone said: “This sounds like a horrific incident for the boy and his family to endure. The fact the man charged has vanished without a trace will make things even worse.

“It’s completely unacceptable that someone facing such serious proceedings can get themselves off the hook in this way.”

A Police Scotland spokeswoman said it never commented on individual cases.

A spokesman for the Crown Office added: “Our position is that we do not confirm the existence or otherwise of a warrant, in order to avoid jeopardising any ongoing efforts to trace an accused.”Medics won’t forget Luke’s terrible screams Luke Minto with Dr Richard Lyon

Livingston supporter Luke was saved at the roadside by 999 rescue service Medic One.

He touched the medical team so much they made him a poster boy for their work.

Team member Brian Mason said in a campaigning video featuring Luke’s accident: “I hope that throughout the rest of my career I never have another job like that again.

“Luke was screaming at the top of his voice. Ear piercing screams.

“Sometimes we can’t get the patient to the hospital. Sometimes we have to bring the hospital to the patient.

“He started vomiting blood. I thought Luke was going to die at that point.”

His colleague Dr Richard Lyon recalls: “The weather was awful. It was snowing.

“The team prepared and delivered the same level of care as you would get in an intensive care unit.

“But to deliver that on the side of the road in those conditions is really specialised and that is where the Medic One team comes into its own.”

Luke’s long road back to health has been helped by the Child Brain Injury Trust in Scotland.

“They have been kindness itself,” said Kelly.

A spokeswoman for the charity said: “Families can be overwhelmed by the impact of a child’s brain injury.

“Their child might be greatly changed, with new support needs that affect the whole family.

“We help them to understand and meet these needs.”