A pensioner seriously injured five schoolgirls, leaving one brain damaged, drug after she impatiently pulled out into heavy traffic.
Norma Stokes, 80, careered in to eight girls from Belvedere Academy when she hit her accelerator instead of her brake.
The OAP’s car mounted the pavement in Belvidere Road, Toxteth and hit a group of girls.
Stokes admitted five counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.
Liverpool Crown Court heard the former nurse had been to a doctor’s appointment and was waiting to turn right on to Belvidere Road.
The prosecution said: “There was no room to pull out safely, nevertheless she made her right turn anyway and her car effectively created its own lane of traffic.”
A witness described Stokes as looking angry as she made the manoeuvre and another driver braked sharply to avoid a crash.
Another witness thought her revving car may have been stolen and was perhaps going down the pavement because she was trying to escape police.
One 11-year-old girl suffered a traumatic brain injury and severe injuries to her knees – partially ripping the ligament off her right knee.
She spent six weeks in hospital and has developed epilepsy , short term memory loss and diabetes as a result of her injuries.
It was only after Stokes car struck two coaches and two parked cars that her car came to a stop.
The court heard that more girls could have been injured if it was not for brave bus driver Andrew Robb, who grabbed a group of girls and pulled them into a gap between the coaches.
Stokes told police a car had been very close behind her at the junction and that she edged out, hoping someone would let her in. She told police that she must have pressed the accelerator instead of the brake but believed her brakes had failed, so hit the bollards because she thought they would slow her down.
Ms Egerton said: “She said she tried to pull her hand brake but was out of control and did not know what she was doing.”
Her car was examined and found to not have any mechanical faults. Stokes surrendered her licence and said she does not intend to drive again.
Judge David Aubrey, QC, said he needed a pre-sentence report as “matters are very finely balanced”.
Stokes, who showed no emotion in court, will be sentenced today.