A WOMAN knocked down by a hit-and-run driver has spoken of the terrifying moment a car appeared from behind a bus and ran into her.

Joanne Gough, 20, was thrown up into the air and landed face first on the ground when she was hit as she crossed Timberlog Lane, in Basildon.

The driver of the silver Ford Ka did not stop.

Despite suffering nasty facial injuries, she scrambled to safety on a grass verge.

Miss Gough, of Saffron Drive, Basildon, hopes speaking out about her ordeal may help to persuade the driver of the vehicle to come forward.

She said: “It all happened so fast. This car came out of nowhere, so it was a real shock.

“As I crossed, there was nothing coming on the right side of the road, there was a bus on the left side, but it was quite far away and I could’ve made it across.

“Then a Ka came from behind the bus quite fast and knocked me over.

“I wasn’t unconscious, so I got up and went over to the grass as I was worried about getting hit again if I stayed in the road.”

Miss Goughwas taken to Basildon Hospital and kept in overnight.

She suffered a broken nose, torn ligaments between her shoulder and collar bone, two black eyes and a sore back.

Miss Gough, who is unemployed, said she feels “absolutely disgusted” the driver didn’t stop.

She added: “It could have been a child or older person they knocked over and they could’ve been killed. It’s done enough to me.

“They just carried on. They are just maniacs.”

Although her injuries have improved, Miss Gough says she still feels “bruised and achey” and is continuing to have treatment on her nose.

The collision happened at about 2pm on Tuesday, May 21.

Police are still appealing for witnesses. Anyone with information can contact PC Gillian Marr at the Laindon road policing unit on 101