A CAR ploughed into pedestrians at a bus shelter - leaving three people injured and lucky to escape with their lives.

Two vehicles collided in Keighley Road, Laneshawbridge, causing one to veer across the road and into two elderly women waiting at the Colne-bound bus stop.

Witnesses said one woman was bleeding from the hip as she was trapped between a Chrysler Sebring and the wall of the concrete shelter at around 10.50am yesterday.

Jackie Foals, 75, was taken to Airedale General Hospital with hip and leg injuries, where she was under observation in a stable condition last night.

The 84-year-old driver of a Škoda Fabia needed treatment for cuts to his head, while the other woman waiting at the bus stop, who was in her 60s, was also treated at Airedale before being discharged later in the day.

Residents of nearby Spring Row and Spring Grove spoke of their horror at the crash, but said it was not unexpected as the road had experienced traffic problems for years.

One man, who asked not to be named, said: “If the car was two feet to the side someone could have been killed.”

Another woman said: “I was in the garden walking up the steps with some coffee and I heard this terrific bang.

“We ran out to see a car stuck in the bus shelter with a woman trapped against the wall. It’s a mess.

“A St John ambulance was passing through the village which was fortunate as they were able to offer some treatment until the main ambulance came.”

Officers at the scene said the crash happened when a parked car - the Škoda - reversed onto the road and the oncoming Chrysler, which was heading towards Yorkshire, collided with it.

The momentum of the crash sent the Chrysler towards the bus stop opposite retirement bungalows owned by Hartley Homes Trust, where the two elderly woman live.

The concrete bus shelter, which is set back from the pavement among some trees, suffered some structural damage but was still standing despite the impact.

Police said it was likely the shelter would be demolished as a result of the damage.

The two cars, both with badly damaged fronts, were towed away from the scene.

Police carried out friction tests on the road yesterday afternoon to determine whether its surface had any bearing on the crash.

Transdev Lancashire cancelled its Colne to Keighley route for four hours as a result of the road closure, while some motorists were caught in queues in diversions put in place via Skipton Old Road.

One driver, who contacted the Lancashire Telegraph, said: “There was utter chaos on the diversion route.”