Little Ava Monkhouse was struck by the vehicle in Grieve Road at its junction with Linnet Road and had to be rushed to hospital.

The six-year-old was found to have broken bones in her foot and also needed treatment for facial injuries.

Police say the driver was not at fault and luckily Ava is on the mend.

But in the wake of the accident earlier this month, Ava’s mum Margaret has launched a petition calling for traffic calming measures such as speed bumps and warning signs to be introduced on Grieve Road.

She said: “Ava is lucky to be alive.

“I’m glad that the driver was going slowly, as if it had been one of those racers that usually fly up and down on that road then she would have been gone.

“I’ve launched the petition as I see cars speeding up and down on that road all the time.

“It’s so dangerous, as there is a kids’ play park right next to the road and an old folks’ home too.

“I just don’t want anyone to get killed.” Margaret, who lives with her family in MacBeth Road, says she faced every parent’s worst nightmare when she realised her daughter had been in an accident.

She said: “I was in my mother’s house in Buchanan Street when Ava’s sister, Abbie, came running in screaming that Ava had been hit by a car.

“My brother Hugh dived up to the window and I just ran out the house.

“At first I couldn’t see anything, then I heard her screaming.

“She had tyre marks on her lower leg as the car had went over her foot and her lip was burst open.” Courageous Ava, who is a primary three pupil at Lady Alice Primary school, was rushed to Inverclyde Royal before being transferred to the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley.

Her mum added: “She was in a lot of pain so the doctors at IRH gave her morphine and they X-rayed her foot.

“She was then taken to the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley and was kept in overnight, as they were worried about the circulation in her foot.” Doctors eventually diagnosed Ava with a broken heel and she was unable to walk for a week. Nearly a month on, Ava still has a plastic cast on her foot.

Margaret added: “She has been so brave throughout the whole thing.

“But she is now terrified of roads now.” Nearly 200 people have backed Margaret’s call for traffic calming measures to be installed on the road — including Tommy McVey, who is the chairman of Greenock South West Community Council.

He said: “I’m a taxi driver myself so I see a lot of people speeding on that road.

“They come down the hill and they think that because it’s a clear, straight road that they can put their foot down.

“But there is a play park and an old folks’ home as well as shops, so it’s very dangerous.” A council spokesman said that a speed survey was carried out on the road last year which did not raise any concerns but promised to re-investigate the situation in light of the petition.

He said: “Road safety is a top priority for the council and any accident is a cause for concern.

“While our road safety figures continue to improve it should be remembered that great care must always be taken when crossing the road.

“We regularly carry out speed surveys on our roads and the results from the most recent check on Grieve Road a year ago showed that on average vehicles travel below the 30mph speed limit.

“However we would be happy to look at it again in conjunction with Police Scotland to see what further action needs to be taken.” A new fence is also to be erected at the children’s play park in Grieve Road over the next few weeks.