A MOTHER from Christchurch says her three-year-old son is lucky he wasn’t blinded after falling over on a bus when the driver suddenly pulled out.

Kelly Watts and her son Dylan caught the 1C Yellow Bus service from Tuckton Bridge after the youngster had finished nursery.

But as the toddler made his way to his favourite seat at the back of the bus, the driver pulled out and the tot was flung onto the floor.

“The bus driver didn’t wait for him to sit down and pulled out straight away,” she explained. “My son went flying.”

Miss Watts said her son, who suffered cuts and bruises to his face, was lucky he didn’t injure his eye.

She said: “He was walking towards the back seat and there’s a board at the bottom with five screws in it. If he had hit one of them it would have gouged his eye out. The bus driver said sorry but he wasn’t fazed by it at all”

The toddler was left shaken but has made a full recovery following his ordeal.

“He was hysterical at the time,” Miss Watts said.

The mother of one is now calling upon bus drivers to ensure children are sat down before pulling out.

She said: “They wait for elderly people to sit down. It should be the same for kids.”

She added: “I’ve written a letter to the head of the bus company and am waiting for a reply.”

Jenni Wilkinson, head of marketing at Yellow Buses, said: “This matter is now the subject of a claim from Kelly Watts and is, therefore, with our insurers. In view of this we're unable to comment further.”