Mum describes horror moment she found boy covered in blood after hit-and-run

Some readers may find images in this story upsetting

The mother of an 11-year-old boy who was knocked down in a hit-and-run collision has described the horror moment she found him covered in blood beside his “mangled” bicycle.

Lisa Bright told Belfast Live she feared her son Joey would die when she arrived at the scene of the collision in north Belfast on Sunday to find him “lying there, squealing”.

The schoolboy was playing on his bicycle with a friend when they were struck by a vehicle at Enfield Road, near the Woodvale Park area, on Sunday evening. The driver failed to stop, she said. The Belfast mum is now seeking justice for what happened.

READ MORE: Woman ‘jumped from moving vehicle and hid in bush’ to escape alleged kidnapperREAD MORE: Man who died suddenly at Belfast apartment was a “cherished father”

She described how the two boys had been out playing together, with Joey riding his bicycle with his friend on the back, when they were knocked down together. The other child managed to get to his feet and run away, but Joey was more badly injured.

Lisa said she arrived at the scene to find Joey “lying there, squealing” and admitted her first thought was that she could lose her boy.

She added: “My first initial reaction was I squealed and threw myself down on the ground, on top of him squealing, like is he going to die?

“I just thought he was gonna die. That was all that was going through my head. He was conscious. He was streaming with blood, his whole face busted open, blood coming from like the corner of his eye. I’d just seen the marks all over him. I seen his bike was mangled. I’ve seen his phone was smashed and I’d just seen crowds around him. I just ran and squealed, but I thought, I thought he was done.”

She said a passerby had already phoned the emergency services when she got there.

“Shortly after I arrived, a paramedic arrived and the police came,” she added. “He lay on the street for a good hour-and-a-half before the ambulance got there.”

The Belfast mum also described how her day changed when a girl who lives nearby told her that her son had been hurt.

“I had rang the child [Joey] a good two minutes beforehand to tell him to make his way up home,” she said. “There was a wee girl who came to my door looking for her wee brother, who was playing with Joey, and I said ‘I’ll give Joey a ring and see where they are’. I rang Joey’s phone and Joey says ‘Mummy, I’ll bring him up now’, and I said ‘that’s OK, his mummy’s looking for him, so you need to bring him up’. So from that I shouted out the door to the wee boy’s sister.

“She walked down from my door a wee bit and, within about three minutes, she was back at my door saying ‘you have to come quick, Joey’s been knocked down’.”

Lisa said no one appears to have directly witnessed the collision but the noise of the crash was so loud – described as an “unmerciful bang” – that many neighbours heard it.

“Nobody’s seen it, nobody actually witnessed it,” she said. “A lot of people on the street heard it. I was speaking to a girl this morning that lives on the street and she says, ‘Love, I don’t know how your child survived, says that was not your average bang – that was like an unmerciful bang’.”

She continued: “I got in the car and just flew down the street. I can’t even remember driving down. I just got to the bottom of the street, seen him lying there, and yeah, traumatised. Just him lying there squealing.”

Joey, meanwhile, is now expected to recover without any permanent physical injuries. “It could have been so much worse, it doesn’t even bear thinking about,” she said.

She also spoke of her thanks at the support from the local community, who she said have flocked to her boy’s side.

“The support has been, honestly, overwhelming,” she said. “It just shows how a community can come together. There are good people out there.”

Asked what she would like to see happen now, she said: “Justice.”

PSNI Inspector McAlea said: “Shortly after 9:55pm, it was reported that a silver coloured car and a bicycle were involved in the collision at the junction of Enfield Street. Two young boys were treated for non-life threatening injuries.

“Enquiries are continuing and police are appealing to anyone who witness the incident or who may have dash-cam footage available, to contact police on 101 quoting reference number 1702 24/08/25.”

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.