Gymnast moves may have saved hit-and-run girl

Sarah Cameron, a student at Sheffield’s Hallam University, suffered multiple injuries after the 60mph impact on the city’s 
Ecclesall Road, which happened the day after she had turned 
21.

Her mother Rachael, from Ossett, near Wakefield, was with her daughter and two of her university flatmates when a speeding car hit her on a pedestrian crossing before driving off, leaving her for dead.

Miss Cameron rolled herself into a ball to shield herself as she rolled off the bonnet of the car last Wednesday, and police estimate she was thrown around 20m (65ft) by the car.

The student, who is in her third year of a law course, broke her left leg, right hand, pelvis, collarbone, shoulder and verterbrae in her neck and has suffered widespread bruising, according to her mother, 48.

Mrs Cameron said the collision happened at around 10pm when two cars were racing each other. “She’s in a very bad way and in a lot of pain.

“I saw everything, it was horrific. I can’t believe she has survived.

“Sarah jumped out of the way of the first car but was straight in the line of the second.

“They just came out of nowhere, the road is just dangerous.

“There aren’t many bones in her body that aren’t broken – it’s going to take a long time to get her back to normal.”

The group of women had parked at the Marks and Spencer store in Ecclesall Road and were crossing opposite the shop when Sarah was hit before both cars sped off.

Miss Cameron is a former junior European champion gymnast and silver medallist at the sport’s Junior World Cup.

Rachael said: “The gymnastics saved her as she’s got such good reflexes.

“They must have been doing at least 60mph. Hopefully they 
will see now that some traffic calming measures need to be put in place.

“It’s only a matter of time before they actually kill someone.”

Sarah was due to sit her final exam later this month, but now faces the prospect of graduating without her friends.

Her father Colin, 52, who works as a banker, was abroad at the time of the accident.

He said: “I was actually working in Singapore when I got a call from Rachael. She was distraught. At that point I didn’t know the extent of Sarah’s injuries so it was a long flight home.

“I’m so grateful she had training as a gymnast, otherwise this could have been so much worse. The fact that she knew how to fall safely could have saved her life.”

Yesterday South Yorkshire Police issued an appeal for help to track down the driver of the car which hit Miss Cameron.

A spokesman said: “It is believed the woman was crossing the road using the pedestrian crossing when two vehicles approached the red traffic light at the crossing, overtaking a line of stationary vehicles, and ignored the red light, continuing over the crossing and colliding with the pedestrian.

“The woman sustained a broken vertebrae in her neck, a fractured pelvis, tissue damage and bruising.

“Both vehicles failed to stop at the scene and police would like help in identifying the vehicles and their drivers.”

Anyone with any information about the incident is asked to call police on 101.