A NINE-year-old martial arts enthusiast had a miraculous escape after he was sent flying into the air and then dragged under the wheels of a car.

Brandon Norris, of Wivelden Avenue, Wilden Top, had just been dropped off outside his home following a kickboxing class when he was hit by a car passing between a van and a car parked opposite.

He was flung over the bonnet, went under the wheels of the vehicle and was dragged three car lengths along the street before it braked.

The accident, the second in two years in the no-through road, has prompted a petition for traffic-calming measures by residents who called it an "accident waiting to happen".

Already more than 80 residents including worried parents have signed the petition calling for urgent action.

The boy's father, Simon, 32, a chemical worker, said staff at Ronkswood Hospital, Worcester, where his son stayed for three days, found it amazing the youngster had not sustained any broken bones.

He said Brandon, who holds a brown belt in kickboxing, had suffered cuts and bruising and grazing all over his body including his head, stomach, buttocks, legs and elbows.

He added his son, who attends Wilden First School, could only walk with assistance and was very disappointed about the impact of his injuries on his kickboxing training.

Mr Norris claimed the driver of the car, who he said was in her 50s, had been travelling at between 35 and 40mph along the 30mph limit road , which meant it took a long time to stop.

But he said the accident, which happened at around 9pm last Thursday, had not stopped "boy racers" and other drivers travelling at speed up and down the avenue.

Ron Tribe, who has lived in Wivelden Avenue for 20 years, said: "It's been an accident waiting to happen. People rip up and down here at speeds of 40 to 50mph."

Another resident Rebecca Connolly added: "I have a four-year-old. He came in a minute before this happened. It could easily have been him."

She added there had been a similar accident in which someone had been knocked down by a car in the street in the last two years.

Brian Drew, former vice-chairman of the tenants consultative committee, said an undertaking had been given 10 years ago when Wyre Forest District Council was building the development at Wilden Top that traffic-calming measures would be put in place.

He said these were due to include rumble strips and cobblestones at junctions and corners to force drivers to slow down.