An 18-month-old baby was killed along with an elderly driver who careered off a busy main road and ploughed into the toddler and his mother, police said. Little Jayden Bloomer and his mother Jackie, 30, who is fighting for her life, were on Water Street in Accrington at about 3pm on Tuesday, when the driver mounted the kerb and crashed into them.
The trio were taken to the Royal Blackburn Hospital where the child and the 89-year-old driver, who has not been named yet, died.
Mum Jackie is in a critical condition in the Royal Preston Hospital where she is being treated for multiple injuries.
Lancashire Police appealed for witnesses who might have seen the driver's green Rover in the run-up to the crash. They say their lines of inquiry include the theory that the driver may have collapsed or suffered health problems while at the wheel.
Click on the video for more from Sgt Mick Young of Lancashire Police.
A police spokesman said: "The car has come off the road at Eastgate, it has mounted the pavement and collided with a building at the bottom of Water Street.
"Sadly, it collided with a female pedestrian and a baby.
"The driver of the vehicle, woman and baby were all transported to the Royal Blackburn Hospital and unfortunately the driver of the car, an elderly man, and also the baby believed to be 18 months, have sadly died.
"The mother of the child is still being treated for multiple injuries and is in a critical condition.
"This accident has happened on one of the busiest roads in Accrington and people would have been picking up their children at the time, about 3pm.
"A major investigation is under way and our thoughts are with both families."
