A TEENAGE triathlon star ended up in hopsital on a life support machine after being seriously hurt in a training accident.

Lissie Hood is now appealing for help to discover if she was knocked off her bike by a hit and- run driver.

The 14-year-old is recovering at home after being found by her dad, Hugh, lying unconscious in the road.

She suffered severe head injuries, multiple cuts and a broken collar bone while on the training ride with her father.

Police are appealing for the driver of a silver car to come forward after it was seen overtaking her dad moments before Lissie was found lying in the road.

The pair had nearly completed the 20-mile route and were just approaching Crow Hill in Ringwood when Lissie cycled away from her dad and crested the hill.

Seconds later Hugh found her lying still attached to her bike by her clipped shoes in the road.

The youngster was taken to Southampton General Hospital and put on to life support as doctors feared she had bleeding on the brain and possible spinal injuries.

But Lissie, who is ranked number two in the UK in her age group for triathlons, is expected to make a full recovery.

Now she is urging the driver to come forward.

“I don’t remember anything at all. I just remember waking up in hospital and asking how my new bike was”, Lissie said.

“I thought it was a bad dream.

“They think I was unconscious when I hit the road, which explains why I made no move to put my hands out and break the fall.”

Lissie, whose helmet was returned to her with a large crack in it, added: “My dad thought I was going to get back up.

“Apparently another car driver stopped and another lady came out of her house and gave me blankets.

“I was freaking out apparently.

But I can’t remember anything.”

The youngster, who was also an Olympic torchbearer this summer, said: “If the driver is reading this, or someone who knows something is, I would just ask them to come forward.

“It would be good to know what happened. They could tell me if I fell off or something else happened. It would be the final piece of the jigsaw.”

Speaking at the family home in West Moors Lissie’s mum Heather said: “What happened to Lissie out on the bike is every parent’s worst nightmare.

“She was wearing a helmet, safety glasses, cycling safely.

We just want to know what happened.

“I think the fact that she is so fit has helped her recovery – that and her determination to get back into training.

“No-one can believe she is back on her feet so quickly. It could have been very different.”

Police are appealing for witnesses to the incident on Saturday, October 20, to contact them on 101.