'Dad and 11-year-old on school run' in hospital after lorry smashes into house

A father and son are both believed to be in hospital after a lorry hit their car as they were on the school run this morning.

The 11-year-old boy was airlifted to hospital in a life-threatening condition and his dad was taken by road ambulance.

A lorry crashed into a number of cars and a house, killing its driver, who was pronounced dead at the scene.

Witnesses say the pair was on the school run when the green truck ploughed into them.

One neighbour said she heard a loud bang that sounded like "an earthquake".

A local woman who wanted to remain anonymous said: "The father and son were on their way to school when they were hit.

"I just hope they pull through.

"The boy is in year 6 at primary school and getting ready for his 11-plus exams."

A Land Rover Discovery smashed into the side of the house with the truck while a black BMW believed to belong to the homeowner also suffered damage in the driveway.

A navy Citroen Picasso was left sprawled across the pavement with its bonnet crunched after ploughing into a brick wall.

Around half a mile up Broad Walk, a small grey Peugeot van and a grey Mercedes saloon were also left with extensive bodywork damage.

Neighbour and mother of two Toni Pankhurst, 42, described hearing a huge bang.

She said: "I was woken up like it was the Blitz. There was this massive bang and then the sound of the helicopter hovering overhead.

"It felt like it was going to land on my roof and was shaking the whole house.

"We rushed out and saw one man taken away on a stretcher.

"Then another man who was around 50 and bald was taken to an ambulance with all this blood coming down his face. He looked so pale."

London Fire Brigade confirmed the driver of the lorry, who is yet to be identified, died.

Station commander Nathan Hobson added: "Specialist Urban Search and Rescue crews attended the scene and efforts were made to free the lorry driver but sadly he was pronounced dead at the scene."

A London Ambulance Service spokesman said: “We were called at 8.03am today to reports of a collision involving multiple vehicles in Broad Walk, Kidbrooke.”

“We dispatched a number of resources including four ambulance crews, medics in cars, an advanced paramedic and our hazardous area response teams. We also dispatched London’s Air Ambulance.

“Working closely with other emergency services at the scene, we assessed six patients. Unfortunately, one patient was found to have died at the scene. Of the remaining five patients, we took three to hospital and two were discharged at the scene."