A PEDESTRIAN was rushed to hospital after being hit by a car on a busy road.

Ambulances raced to the scene on Western Approaches, Eastwood, after the Wednesday night crash before taking him to Southend Hospital.

Witness to the accident, Kimberley O’Connell, 44, said: “As I looked down the road I saw ambulance lights at the scene, which was in the direction of Eastwoodbury Lane. My heart immediately sank.

“It looked pretty bad, and I’m told that the poor man wasn’t in a good way.

“I was more surprised that it’s actually taken this long for someone to be hit rather than the fact that it had happened.

“People tear it up around here because the road is wide, so people act like the speed limit is higher than it is.”

Campaigners are calling for a crossing to be put in place on the busy road, claiming to have suffered with speeding problems for years.

The mum-of-three said: “We’ve been campaigning for a crossing for so long, but it was recently turned down by the council as it wasn’t considered to be dangerous enough.

“Animals like cats and foxes are always getting killed because people go at least 50mph when the speed limit is 30.

“Us parents are petrified. I’ve held off for so long before letting the kids walk up the road without me, because I’m worried sick they will get hurt. I remember when my four-year-old was on his scooter beside the road and tripped, I caught him just in time or a car would’ve hit him because they were going too fast to stop.”

Southend councillor Ron Woodley, cabinet member for transport, said: “Surveys were undertaken in 2018 in Western Approaches. After reviewing the results of these surveys, it was found that the criteria needed for a crossing to be installed had not been met. We will monitor the situation, and following the incident, we will be taking a detailed look at how we can ensure residents are kept safe.”

An ambulance spokesperson said: "We were called at 6.11pm with reports of a collision in Western Approaches, Eastwood.

"We sent one ambulance and took a man to Southend University Hospital for further care."