Dozens of school children lift car to free mother and two toddlers in Utah

The family went into hospital, but was later discharged, ITV News' Leyla Hayes reports

Dozens of school children came to the rescue of a mother and her two toddlers after they were hit and then pinned underneath a car in Utah.

Bridgette Ponson, her three-year-old daughter and her two-year-old son were run over by the vehicle in the the car park of Layton Christian Academy, where she works.

Her daughter was able to crawl free just moments before a group of teenagers fearlessly came to the rescue.

In CCTV footage from the incident, around 20 students are seen rushing to their aid, encircling the car before lifting up the front and back.

Layton Christian Academy CEO Chris Crowder said students “from different countries” participated in the rescue.

“Girls, boys, it didn't matter. They just all took a spot in the car and lifted it,” he told local media channel KSL-TV.

Mr Crowder added a member of the US Air Force who was at the school helped to pull Mrs Ponson and her son out.

The family were then rushed to hospital, where they are expected to make a full recovery.

Andrew Ponson, the husband and father of the family, hailed it a miracle his family survived.

He had just left the academy, where he works alongside his wife, when he watched police and ambulances speed past him.

“This is like the closest thing to hell on earth as you can describe,” Mr Ponson said.

His two-year-old son was on the ground with blood on his face, while someone at the scene was holding his three-year-old daughter.

“You just feel helpless and hopeless, it’s just the worst feeling."

Mr Ponson, who knows the teenagers that came to his family's aid, added: "I don't know if I’ll be able to keep my composure the next time I see them."

He added: “Today I’m celebrating life. I’m celebrating the connection to the friendships that I’ve reconnected with and in this during all the grief there is hope, there is life.”

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