Watch Spider-Man actor Tom Holland send well wishes to Lancaster boy recovering after being hit by a police car
An 11-year-old Lancaster boy who was critically injured after being hit by a police car has been sent well wishes by Spider-Man.
Actor Tom Holland - famous for his role as Spider-Man/Peter Parker in six Marvel superhero films - recorded a message for his namesake Tom, who is currently recovering in Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool.
Tom's mum Karla said he is making "positive progress", having been in a coma and on life support, although he had a "challenging day" on Monday.
He is awake and responding, and has smiled when shown video messages from celebrities encouraging him to get better, Karla said.
His most recent message came from Tom Holland, who said: "Let me start by saying you have probably got the coolest name out there.
"I want you to know that I am thinking about you. I am sending you positive vibes and I hope that you can be strong and we are all looking forward to speaking to you soon."
The messages have been flooding in after Tom's family set up a Facebook page, 'You can do it Tom!'.
Videos have so far come from celebraities including Morecambe-based world heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury, James Hooton AKA Sam Dingle from Emmerdale, former Manchester United footballers Gary Neville, David May and Dion Dublin, Coronation Street actor Martin 'Spider' Hancock, TV sport reporter Mike Bushell, TV presenter Jeremy Kyle, Barry Roche from Morecambe FC, and children’s TV character Hacker T Dog.
"The aim of this page is to flood it with celebrity videos, surrounded by positive messages of support from the community," his family said.
"We're hoping that when Tom eventually wakes up, he'll be able to see, hear and read the various messages to help motivate and inspire him on the long road ahead.”
Anyone who can help is welcome to email Bill Johnston at [email protected] or contact Bill through the Facebook page.
Tom was injured on Thursday May 25. The incident happened just before 8.30pm in Owen Road at the junction with Torrisholme Road and involved a marked police Peugeot 308 hatchback which was responding to an emergency call.
Tom was taken to the Royal Lancaster Infirmary and later transferred to Alder Hey.
Police have referred the matter to the Independent Office for Police Conduct to carry out an independent investigation.