A DISTRAUGHT father spoke today for the first time of his horror when he realised the car he was driving had run over his son.

"It felt like I had run over a football and I got out and looked under the car and saw my son," said the 33-year-old father from Rosemount, Bacup.

"It's every parents' worst nightmare. It's something you read about, but you don't think about it happening.

"The hardest thing is seeing my son in a hospital bed and knowing I've put him there."

The family, who spoke on condition that they are not identified by name, have been keeping a vigil at their 18-month-old son's bedside at Booth Hall Children's Hospital in Manchester, since the accident happened on Monday lunchtime.

The self-employed electrician said he was taking his three-and-a-half year old son to nursery and was reversing down the drive next to their semi-detached home. His other son crawled out of the garden where he was playing and into the path of the Ford Orion.

"I screamed for my wife to get an ambulance as I lifted the car off my son and pushed it forward." The youngster suffered a fractured skull, cuts to his head, a broken collarbone, broken arm and fractured femur.

Yesterday the little boy, described by his parents as "full of beans and larger than life," underwent three hours of plastic surgery to his scalp and his leg will be in traction for four weeks.

His dad said: "My son will get over it a lot quicker than I will. He is young enough to forget about it.

"I have been a mess for a couple of days. I sat on the drive wondering how it could happen but it is so steep you can't see anything at the bottom. I am going to put lights on the drive now."

The family thanked relatives, neighbours, friends, ambulance crew and medics at Rochdale Infirmary and Booth Hall for their help and understanding.

His mum, 31 today, said: "I am going to get a fence put round the garden so the children can't run into the road."

The family were due to fly to Tenerife on holiday next week, but that is going to be rearranged when their son is well enough to go.

His father added: "Until he is back home I am going to feel guilty."

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