Belvedere Academy crash victim, 11, wanted to be a surgeon
An 11-year-old girl left with a life-changing brain injury after she was hit by a car outside her school dreamed of becoming a surgeon, it has emerged.
The girl was among eight children hurt in the crash outside Belvedere Academy in Liverpool in February.
Norma Stokes, 80, was banned from driving for life and given a two-year suspended prison sentence after she admitted causing the crash.
The girl's family said their daughter would "never be the same person again".
In a statement released through solicitors, they added: "It is like she died. Our brilliant daughter, who wanted to be a surgeon, has been cheated. We all have."
The girl, who was the most badly injured of the group, has developed epilepsy and diabetes, and may need further surgery for injuries to her right arm and leg.
"Her dreams ended at the very time that they were beginning to take shape," her family continued.
"Before this she was a fearless and remarkable girl, and this has been snatched away in the blink of an eye."
'Pressed the accelerator'
The family of another girl, aged 13, left with extensive fractures to both arms. also spoke of their ordeal.
"Our life has changed and still months on, she has missed three months of her education and can still only manage half a day in school, her scars are more than physical," they said.
Liverpool Crown Court heard the crash happened during a busy Friday afternoon when students were leaving girls' school.
Stokes, of Booker Avenue, Allerton, drove out of Peel Street onto Belvidere Road when heavy traffic meant it was not safe to pull out.
She hit bollards in the middle of the carriageway before veering across the road, mounting the pavement, and hitting the girls.
Ms Stokes told police that, at the time of the crash, the car was out of control and that although she was trying to brake she was actually pressing on the accelerator.