A NINETY-year-old woman was seriously injured after being hit by a taxi while crossing a busy town centre road.

Horrified onlookers described how the crash left the woman lying in Railway Road, Blackburn, bleeding from her head.

Last night the pedestrian, who suffered broken bones, concussion and severe cuts to her face and head, was awaiting scans at Royal Blackburn Hospital to assess the full extent of her injuries.

The pensioner, from Blackburn, was believed to be in the middle of the road when she was struck by a silver Toyota Previa belonging to Highfield Taxis.

The taxi driver, who stopped at the scene, was questioned by police as part of the investigation into the accident.

Officers could be seen carrying out a thorough investigation, with tape and cones used to prevent passers-by from straying into the accident site. Six police cars attended the incident preventing traffic using the busy road.

The section of the road, between Church Street and High Street, was cordoned off for two-and-a-half hours while police officers inspected it.

The taxi, which had a large dent in the bonnet, was removed from the scene at around 2pm, and the road reopened soon after.

The road closure caused major traffic distruption in and around the town centre, with drivers forced to turn around and find another way to their destinations.

One onlooker said: “She was crossing the road right on the corner. It is a bad stretch there.

“I heard a loud screech and then just saw her go up in the air.

“Her face was covered in blood. I really hope she is okay, it is so sad.”

Another said: “It was terrible. I was right behind her about to cross the road myself.

“It is dangerous because people don’t want to walk further up the road to use the crossing near Morrisons.”

Maria Fairhurst, manager of the East Lancashire Hospice shop, said she arrived at work to find the road closed and police cars all over the street.

She said: “We need a crossing there. It is very dangerous and we are always seeing near misses.

“It seems a long way to get to the crossing near Morrisons, especially for people who are elderly.”

Owner of Highfield Taxis Farooq Khan said: “We hope she gets better.

“At the company we are all upset about what has happened.

“It was a bad moment and we pray she is okay.”

A spokeswoman for bus provider Transdev said diversions had caused delays to journey.

She said: “A couple of buses were diverted in the immediate aftermath, which cause some significant delays to journey times.

“And after that the diversions put an extra five or 10 minutes on journeys in the area.”

Last night the woman’s condition was described by Sgt Tracey Ward as stable.