A HIT-AND-RUN victim needed more than 20 stitches in her head after she was knocked down in the street by a moped rider.

Louise Truslow, 60, of Marine Parade, in Leigh, was on her way home from London by train after she had been out with some friends on Sunday, January 13.

After walking up the stairs from Leigh train station onto Marine Parade - just yards from her home - she attempted to cross what she says was a clear road.

Louise, who is a glass artist, said: “As I got to the top of the Leigh steps and proceeded to cross the road, I looked to my right and there was a car in the far distance and nothing to my left - the road was completely clear.

“As I proceeded to cross the road, out of nowhere I was hit by a moped, who I was told had no lights on.

“I didn’t remember at first, but I do now get flashbacks of a silver bike coming towards me and that’s all.

“Next thing I knew I was lying on the ground completely unconscious, I was told that when I was asked for my name I did not even know it and didn’t even know where I was.”

Luckily residents and fellow pedestrians heard the loud noise of the crash and went to rescue her.

They were shocked to see the driver, who had also crashed his bike into the pavement, running back to Louise before allegedly swearing profusely and running back to his moped before driving off in the direction of Hadleigh.

Louise added: “Two lovely men named Donald and Darren, and two women were my saviours.

“When I began to come around I was in total shock, I was violently shaking and I was terribly cold.

“I was in hospital for more than three days I had to have more than 20 stitches in my head and some in my hip, I have a fractured vertebrae on my neck and have been suffering with vertigo.

“I’m not usually an anxious person and I am quite an upbeat person and always busy.

“I’m in London two to three times a week and I have a lot of projects on with my glass work, but I cannot do anything at all for myself at the moment so my daughter has taken time off work to help me.

“We went out recently to a nearby café, we walked there very slowly and I used my stick and it was fine. Then when it came to walking back and crossing the road at the same spot I just couldn’t do it and I burst into tears.

“I don’t feel any anger towards the man responsible or any desire for retribution but I do hope he is caught because I want him to learn from this.”

The moped is believed to be a model of Aprilia known either as a Habana or Mojito and will have had its headlight broken in the crash. Anyone who may have seen this vehicle following the 12am crash should contact Chigwell Roads Policing Unit on 101 quoting incident number 2 of 13/01.