A WOMAN in her seventies was airlifted to hospital and is fighting for her life after she was knocked over seconds from leaving a bus.

Rochford Road was blocked in both directions between Harp House and the Feeches Road junction, Southend, for about three hours following the incident, which happened at about 11.40am, and police road blocks were also in effect on Manners Way and Eastwoodbury Crescent.

East of England Ambulance Service sent a rapid response vehicle, an ambulance and an ambulance officer, which arrived within three minutes of being called and the Essex and Herts Air Ambulance landed on the Warner Bridge roundabout at about 12.10pm.

An ambulance spokesman said: “We were called at 11.40am and sent a rapid response vehicle, an ambulance, an ambulance officer and the air ambulance, and were on the scene in three minutes.

“A woman believed to be in her seventies had been involved in an accident and had a head injury and a suspected fracture.

“She is in a serious condition and has been flown to the Royal London Hospital.”

Richard Turner, 46, of Eastwoodbury Crescent, arrived at the scene when he noticed the air ambulance landed near his house and said he understood the woman was one of his neighbours.

He said: “A bus coming from Rochford towards Southend had just come over the roundabout, by the airport, where it pulled up.

“From what I gather, the woman has got off the bus, walked around it to cross the road and, as she’s done so, a car has come up to the other side of the bus towards the Bell.

“She mounted the bonnet and the windscreen of the car smashed – at that point everything came to a sudden halt.

“She must be in a pretty bad way because they worked on her for about 30 or 40 minutes before they even moved her and had her on a heart monitor and a drip.”

A police spokesman said: "Police were called shortly before 11.45am on Saturday, November 1, with reports of a road traffic accident involving a female pedestrian and a red Ford KA.

"The pedestrian has been taken to Royal London Hospital by air ambulance where she remains in a life-threatening condition."

Mr Turner added that, while he was at the scene, another ambulance arrived to treat a man who had been injured in an accident nearby.

An East of England Ambulance spokesman said an ambulance was called to Sutton Road at about 11.50am and an elderly man taken to Southend Hospital for treatment.