A FORMER mayor of Salisbury has been left battered and bruised after being involved in a collision with a car.

Kay Cooper-Joel, who served as the city mayor from 1990 to 1991, was taken to hospital after the incident in Salt Lane on Friday and is now recovering at home.

The 90-year-old says she was returning home from a shopping trip to Tesco and was standing outside The Pheasant ready to cross the road. She was pushing her big shopping trolley at the time.

“I just got as far as putting it [the trolley] off the pavement - there was nothing coming,” she said.

“The next thing I know it [the car] swerved quickly around the corner and hit my trolley. It knocked the trolley over, it must have only touched it as the trolley was not damaged.”

She added: “I was terrified, I was in the middle of the road flat on my face.”

Mrs Cooper-Joel, who will be celebrating her 91st birthday next week, sustained a broken nose as well as bruising and cuts to her face.

“I’ve been in a lot of pain with it,” she said.

She was initially taken to Salisbury District Hospital before being transferred to Southampton hospital where she had to stay overnight.

Mrs Cooper-Joel was seen by specialists at the eye unit in Southampton as doctors initially feared she could lose sight in one eye after damaging the tear duct. Fortunately, no surgery was needed and the sight has returned to normal.

She says she was “horrified” when she saw the injuries to her face.

“I’ll just be glad to get back to normal,” she said.

She has praised hospital staff in Salisbury and Southampton, adding: “We are so lucky here with the hospitals. They were absolutely fantastic.”

Mrs Cooper-Joel says a young woman, who was a nurse, came to her aid and told her to wait for an ambulance and police to arrive.

“I would like to know who she is and for her to come and see me as I would like to say thank you.”

Emergency services were called at about 11.40am to reports a pedestrian had been hit by a Honda Civic. Police are still investigating the incident.