A PRIMARY school pupil remains in a serious condition in hospital after being hit by a car in Co Antrim.
A spokeswoman for the Belfast Health Trust last night said that nine-year-old Liam McCallum remained critical.
Football fanatic Liam, a Liverpool fan and a pupil at Straidbilly Primary School, was hit by a car on the Toberdoney Road, Liscolman, at around 4pm on Tuesday.
In a statement on Friday, the McCallum family said: "Liam went through another operation through the night and we are happy to say the pressure on his brain has decreased.
"He has still not gained consciousness and is unable to function on his own, but all doctors are saying he is putting up the biggest fight. We pray that Liam pulls through and returns home."
A five-year-old boy injured in a separate collision in Co Down is now in a stable condition.
The boy was struck by a car at Malcolmson Park in the village of Magheralin on Thursday afternoon.
Meanwhile, the funeral will take place today of a teenager who died from injuries in a road crash in Co Down on Wednesday evening.
Requiem Mass for Matthew Davis (18) will be celebrated in Mary Mother of the Church, Saintfield, at 12 noon, followed by burial in Kilcarn Cemetery.
Matthew was seriously injured in a two-vehicle collision on the Lisburn Road near Saintfield on Wednesday evening.
The teenager, from Saintfield, had been travelling to work at Sainsbury's in Lisburn.
Earlier in the day he had scored the winning penalty as St Colman's, Ballynahinch defeated Ballymena Academy in the second round of the Northern Ireland Schools Under 18 Plate.
A keen sportsman, Matthew also played minor football for Darragh Cross GAA club and before joining Ballynahinch Olympic soccer team, represented Killyleagh from youth level up to senior level, captaining both the under-16 and-18 sides.
St Colmcille's High School in Crossgar, where Matthew had previously been a pupil, extended its "deepest sympathies" to family and friends in a message on Facebook.
A former coach of the teenager at Darragh Cross GAC described him as "an extremely likeable, happy and well-mannered lad".
He wrote: "One thing that stood out is that he would always thank the coaches after every training session. It was a pleasure to have known and coached Matty over the years."
Anyone who witnessed the two-vehicle crash involving a blue Renault Megane and black Audi at around 5.35pm on Wednesday evening has been asked to contact police on 101.
