A 12-YEAR-OLD boy suffered serious head injuries after being hit by a car in York as he walked home from school.

The accident happened at the pedestrian crossing opposite the Black Bull pub, in Hull Road, at about 4pm yesterday.

Police said the boy, who is a pupil at the nearby Archbishop Holgate School, was thrown up on to the windscreen of a silver Skoda Fabia after coming into contact with the vehicle.

Sergeant Julian Pearson, of North Yorkshire Police, said: “The boy had left school and he and a group of other pupils had crossed at the pedestrian crossing.

“Once on the other side of the road, it would appear he stepped backwards on to the road without looking.

“That is when a motorist came into contact with him and he was thrown up on to the windscreen.”

Sgt Pearson said the driver of the Skoda, a man in his 60s, had stopped immediately and was not injured in the collision.

He said: “It would appear at this point that the motorist did nothing wrong, but we would still like to hear from any witnesses.”

Sgt Pearson said the schoolboy was taken to York Hospital by ambulance, where he was being treated for “bleeding on the brain and abdominal injuries”.

He urged parents to tell their children to take extra care when walking home from school during the winter.

“It is that time of year when the nights are closing in and it is dark when the children leave school,” he said.

“Kids are coming out of here wearing dark maroon jumpers and black trousers and they don’t pay that much attention to the traffic.”

Police officers spent several hours at the scene investigating the collision, but the road remained open at all times.

Any witnesses are asked to phone North Yorkshire Police on 0845 60 60 247.