A mother is in hospital with a broken leg after her car, containing three children, skidded into a truck in Southampton yesterday.

A pregnant female front seat passenger suffered facial injuries and eyewitnesses said she was holding a tot in her lap when they hit the windscreen, although Police say none of the children were badly hurt.

The driver had to be cut out of the car and suffered a broken femur and a smashed knee.

Truck driver Michael Rand, 23, said the car slid 30 yards sideways as it rounded the bend on Middle Road just by Scenic Heights Pass.

"When I saw the speed the car was coming I thought I would be injured. It was coming sideways. They shunted me back ten feet," said Mr. Rand.

He said when he emerged from the truck the children were already out of the Toyota Corolla car.

He said: "I thought the car was going to blow up. One child was about three or four years old, she was bleeding, she might have hit her nose or her head.

"The driver's face was all split up and her chest, she was crushed into the steering wheel.

"The passenger was bleeding and walking around screaming."

A woman arrived on the scene and was shocked to see her neighbour's car had been involved in the accident.

She told The Royal Gazette: "Oh my God, they are such a sweet family. They are happy friendly children, the sort you just want to hug.

"They are a Portuguese family, the mother was just learning English. The little girl was given to the Lord about a month ago."

Police spokesman Dwayne Caines said: "A lady driver lost control of her vehicle and it veered to the other side of the road.

"There was a pregnant passenger in the front and the driver had to be cut out of the vehicle, but the three children didn't appear to be injured in a major way.

"They have been released after being under observation at hospital - they had minor bumps and bruises."

He said the pregnant woman, who is 25 and comes from Warwick, was in a stable condition after suffering face lacerations.

He said: "She and her unborn are going to be fine, they are going to be released later today."

He said the 31-year-old driver from Southampton was still in hospital.

Police investigators were examining the tyre pressure on the car and oil on the road could also be a factor in wet conditions in the accident which happened at around 9 a.m.

Police sealed off Middle Road from Scenic Heights Pass to Camp Hill Road for some hours after the smash.