TWO brothers aged just seven and nine had an amazing escape after one of them took their dad's car for a drive.

Little Keiron Fisher, aged seven, got behind the wheel of a Ford Orion, released the handbrake and started rolling down a steep hill outside his home in Musgrave Road, Heaton.

Brother Matthew, aged nine, a junior jujitsu black belt, spotted the danger and ran in front of the car believing he was strong enough to stop it single-handly. But Keiron, rapidly gathering speed, panicked, swerved and smashed head-on into Matthew and a brick wall.

Their mum Shelley Fisher heard neighbours' screams yesterday morning and thought both her sons had been killed.

But Matthew was saved from being crushed by a school rucksack on his back which limited the impact by lodging between the car and wall.

And Keiron, who had been steering by standing on the driver's seat, also emerged unscathed. Today Matthew, who only suffered a sprained wrist, told the BEN of his amazing escape.

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rucksack the car and shouted at him not to be silly," he said. "But when the car started going I thought I'd better do something because he's my brother even if we do fight all the time.

"Because I'm a black belt I thought I'd be strong enough to stop it but then he hit the wall with me in front.

"The rucksack also hit the wall and I was thrown to one side. I was really scared."

Mum Mrs Fisher, aged 28, told of the moment she rushed from her home fearing her sons had been killed.

"I was in the kitchen when I heard this almighty bang," she said.

"I ran down the road and saw Matthew lying in a neighbour's gateway. He was white as a sheet and shaking with shock. I was just hysterical."

The drama began just before the boys were due to walk with Mrs Fisher to Oxford Grove Primary School.

She added that Keiron would be punished for his stupidity, which left the family car with smashed headlights.

Keiron sneaked into dad Richard's car and seconds later crashed 30 yards further down the road after veering into the front wall of a terraced house owned by 41-year-old neighbour Cath Berry.

Matthew bounced off the wall to safety and Keiron calmly walked from the car without a scratch.

Today Mrs Fisher said it was a miracle neither son had been seriously injured and said Matthew's rucksack - stuffed with school books and his PE kit - had undoubtedly saved his life.

"Keiron could easily have been thrown through the windscreen and if Matthew hadn't had his bag on he definitely would have been crushed," she said. "I can laugh about it now, but at the time I was terrified."

"He just carried on afterwards as if nothing had happened, but his dad will definitely be having a word with him," she said. "I think we'll have to ground Keiron until the millennium to keep him out of trouble. He's always getting up to mischief and Matthew's like the lad with nine lives who has lucky escapes. Once we were travelling in a taxi when he opened the door and fell out into the road. Luckily, he survived that as well." blue Ford Orion automatic which had been left unlocked, released the handbrake and moved the gear lever from park to drive. Lucky escape: The rucksack that saved Matthew Fisher, left, from being crushed by the car "driven" by brother Keiron

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