The family of a little boy left fighting for his life after reportedly being run over twice by a woman "distracted by her dogs" have launched a case against her.

Eight-year-old Charlie Golden suffered a traumatic brain injury, serious pelvic fractures and injuries to his foot and scalp after being knocked down while riding his scooter outside his home in Aylesham, near Canterbury.

His injuries were so severe, that a nurse held his head for five hours as doctors struggled to stop the bleeding.

Three years on, his uncle Shaun Pilbeam has issued a writ at the High Court against Shannon Densham, of Central Boulevard, Aylesham, seeking to establish liability and claim compensation in excess of £200,000.

The court papers say claims have also been launched by Charlie's parents, Lauren and Paul, for the psychological impact they suffered in the aftermath of the accident, and a similar claim is pending on behalf of his brother. It is sought to have all the claims consolidated.

The writ says the crash happened as Ms Densham drove her Nissan Qashqai SUV, loaded with two dogs, along Queens Road - a residential area with a line of parked cars along the driver’s side.

The dogs would inevitably have been a distraction to the driver, it is alleged.

Charlie and two friends were planning to cross the road, and he had reached the middle of the road with his scooter when he was hit by Ms Densham’s car at a speed of about 30mph, the claim says.

She later told police she had not seen him, although the writ says his head would have been clearly visible above the bonnet after she hit him head-on.

It says she swerved but then ran over him again when he landed in the road ahead of her car.

If she had reacted at the first sight with emergency braking, she would not have run over him a second time, the claim states.

Ms Densham later told police she was driving below 30mph and slammed her brakes on when the boy appeared between parked cars.

However, the court papers allege she was in fact driving at about 30mph, and did not brake at all - only swerved slightly - and did not see the boy lying in the road before she ran over him for the second time.

The writ accuses her of negligently driving too fast, failing to slow down as she passed parked cars, colliding with the boy and his scooter, failing to see him in time and failing to keep a proper look out.

Police issued an appeal for witnesses in the aftermath of the accident, but no criminal action was taken against the driver.

A police spokesman said: "Following extensive enquiries by Kent Police's Serious Collision Investigation Unit, no further action was taken against the driver involved.

"Those involved were kept updated throughout the investigation."

Eight months after the accident, Charlie's parents spoke out about the ordeal as they urged more people to become blood donors.

"Charlie suffered a massive blow to the head that removed his scalp and fractured his pelvis in four places," Lauren said.

"A hospital nurse held his head for five hours as they couldn’t stop the bleeding and the doctors said they weren’t sure if he was going to make it."

Charlie was put into a coma at the roadside before being airlifted to King's College Hospital in London. Medics managed to save his life after two blood transfusions.

In gratitude, the couple signed up to the blood donor register.

The family also held a fundraising event in May 2020 in aid of the Kent Air Ambulance, and earlier this year, Charlie was made an air ambulance ambassador.

Lauren said: "I received a text message telling me which hospital my blood has been issued at.

"All I could think of were those amazing people who received that same text when their donation saved my Charlie’s life."