A PORTISHEAD teenager said he feels lucky to have hobbled away from a hit-and-run incident which left him needing crutches.

Ben Birkenhead, aged 16, damaged ligaments in his left knee after he was hit by a car whose driver was too impatient to wait for him to move out of the way.

The silver Mercedes drove off quickly, despite the loud impact, and before Ben or his father Matthew could spot the number plate.

Ben said he was fortunate not to have sustained a worse injury than the one which left him on crutches after a trip to Clevedon Hospital. He was also forced to take time off from studying for his GCSEs at Gordano School.

He said: “I almost fell over and had to put both hands on the boot to stop myself. It was lucky or else I could have been run over.”

Matthew was dropping Ben off at Gordano Rugby Club in Caswell Lane when the accident happened.

The teenager was getting his sports kit out from the back seats of the maroon Mondeo when the Mercedes pulled up in the narrow lane at about 10.30am on January 22.

He thought the car would wait but the driver accelerated and jammed Ben’s left leg between the two cars.

Ben saw a woman in the passenger seat of the CL300 who looked on in horror as she saw the accident but the car still did not stop. She had brown hair and looked to be in her 40s.

The incident was reported to police but neither the driver or passenger have yet been found.

Matthew said: “It annoys me that the driver just drove off and it’s something that should be dealt with.

“I think someone would stop even if they had just hit the car. The driver only had to wait another two seconds.”

The parking attendant at the rugby club has agreed to look out for the vehicle involved. Meanwhile, anyone who witnessed the incident or has any information can call police on 101.