Blackpool horror hit-and-run smash: Here's what we know so far

Three women were hurt in a crash between two cars in Garstang Road last night, with two men - including the driver of one of the cars - allegedly fleeing the scene.
Picture: Lancashire PolicePicture: Lancashire Police
Picture: Lancashire Police

Here's what we know so far:

• The first call to emergency services is made at 8.04pm after a blue BMW M4 and light-coloured Skoda Citigo collide near to the PlayFootball sports complex.

• Two men from the BMW, including the driver, flee the scene, police say.

Picture: Lancashire PolicePicture: Lancashire Police
Picture: Lancashire Police
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• Police officers and two crews of firefighters from Blackpool's Forest Gate station arrive to find both cars badly damaged.

• As police shut the road, with buses on the 2C and 6 routes unable to get to Grange Park via Dinmore Avenue, firefighters cut the roof off the Skoda to free two women, and give first aid to a female passenger from the BMW.

• At 8.50pm, the first of three ambulances arrives on the scene. The BMW passenger, 25, is taken to Royal Preston Hospital with a leg injury. The Skoda's driver, a 57-year-old from Poulton, and her passenger, a 55-year-old from Blackpool, are taken to Blackpool Victoria Hospital, each with a broken wrist.

• At 10.20pm, the police helicopter is called from its base in Barton to help search for the missing driver, amid fears he may also have been hurt in the accident. No-one is found.

Firefighters cut the roof off the Skoda to free two women in their 50s (Picture: Rachel Atkinson)Firefighters cut the roof off the Skoda to free two women in their 50s (Picture: Rachel Atkinson)
Firefighters cut the roof off the Skoda to free two women in their 50s (Picture: Rachel Atkinson)
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• At 11.15pm, police issue their first public appeal to help track down the driver, saying in a tweet: "Somebody knows who the driver was and where they are. If you have a conscience, call us." A picture shows the badly damaged BMW, which left the road before smashing into a metal fence.

• Pat Thompson, white watch manager at Forest Gate fire station, tells of how firefighters helped the casualties, and says: "We had to cut the [Skoda] car to release the two casualties and we also treated the other lady while we were there as well."

• At 12.25am today, an officer from the county's road policing unit urges the driver to turn himself in before police "come knocking on your door."

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At 8.10am, a second public appeal is issued, as police reveal a second man from the BMW is also being hunted. The Gazette learns officers do not believe the car was stolen and have a suspect in mind. In a statement, Sgt Olive Jones says: “We are currently looking for two men who made off from the scene. If you have any information, or know where they are, please contact us immediately. Furthermore, if you saw the collision and have yet to speak to police, please call.”