sophie delezio critical in hospital, page-17

Sophie Delezio hit by car in Sydney
From: By Ricky Sutton and Peter Trute
May 05, 2006

Little fighter ... Sophie Delezio recovering from her burns at Westmead Childrens' Hospital SOPHIE Delezio, who survived terrible burns when a car smashed through her pre-school, is on a life support machine tonight in a critical condition after being hit by a car.

The Sydney five-year-old was struck outside her school on Frenchs Forest Road at Seaforth at 4pm.

She has been airlifted to Sydney Children's Hospital at Randwick with head, face, chest and leg injuries.

An ambulance spokeswoman has confirmed her condition as critical.

She won the nation's heart after beating 85 per cent burns when a car crashed into the first floor of the Roundhouse pre-school in Manly in December 2003.

She started at school earlier this year despite her terrible injuries.

Sophie's father Ron Delezio said the car, a Holden Apollo sedan, struck her when it failed to stop at a pedestrian crossing. It stopped later.
"She was in a pram crossing the road and someone didn't stop," Mr Delezio told Macquarie radio.

"It just hit the pram.

"We don't know her full condition yet.

"We believe she got a broken leg of some sort but we don't know the full extent at this stage."

Sophie was badly burnt in December 2003 when a car burst into flames after slamming into the Roundhouse Childcare Centre at Fairlight, in Sydney's northern beaches.
Sophie, then aged two, and her friend Molly Wood, also two, were pinned under the car and spent months in hospital recovering from critical burns.

Sophie lost both her feet, some fingers and her right ear in the accident.

A witness said they pulled over to let the Delezio family cross, but another car came past and hit them.