Watch: Hero woman pushes mum out of the way before being hit by car

This is the tragic moment a woman manages to shove her wheelchair bound elderly mother to safety just as she herself is hit by a car and sent spiralling through the air. Photo / Australscope

This is the tragic moment a woman manages to shove her wheelchair-bound elderly mother to safety just as she herself is hit by a car and sent spiralling through the air.

The tragedy happened in Taizhou, which is in eastern China's Jiangsu Province, when the pair decided to cross the busy road in the early evening without using the zebra crossing.

This is the tragic moment a woman manages to shove her wheelchair bound elderly mother to safety just as she herself is hit by a car and sent spiralling through the air. Photo / Australscope

With the light failing, and the car suddenly coming from the opposite direction with its lights on full beam, the driver identified only by the surname Xu claims he had no chance to avoid the woman.

Video footage shows the woman crossing the multi-lane road, then turning as she realises the car is speeding towards her without braking and at the last minute sending her mother out of the way just as the car collides with her.

The force of the blow is so hard that she was sent flying up into the air before cartwheeling down onto the ground. As her hands were torn from the wheelchair, it caused the device to turn round, leaving her pensioner mother wondering what had happened and where her daughter had gone.

She was not named, but was reportedly 62 years old and her mother was unharmed as the car missed her by inches. Photo / Australscope

The daughter died a short while later.

She was not named, but was reportedly 62 years old and her mother was unharmed as the car missed her by inches. It was not revealed if the driver was arrested.

- Australscope