SCHOOLchildren watched on in horror yesterday as a 12-year-old classmate was fatally injured after being hit by a car as she tried to cross a busy Hampshire road.

The accident happened as Linzi Wright attempted to cross Ringwood Road in the New Forest to join friends waiting for the school bus shortly after 8am yesterday.

It is understood Linzi, of Pear Tree Close, Bransgore, emerged from a footpath leading from Brookside Road in Bransgore and was hit by a Fiat Uno heading north towards Ringwood as she attempted to catch a school bus.

She suffered serious head injuries and received treatment at the roadside before being taken to Southampton General Hospital by ambulance.

However, she died a few hours later from her injuries.

Police closed the road for nearly three hours while accident investigators attended the scene and the car involved was removed by a recovery vehicle.

Linzi was one of 1,500 pupils at The Arnewood School in New Milton, which was awarded Technical College status in September 2000.

No one at the school for 11 to 18-year-olds was available to comment.

Police said the 18-year-old driver of the black Fiat, from Bransgore, was unhurt but badly shaken by the incident.

Yesterday's accident comes just a few months after another Arnewood student was seriously injured while crossing the road at the same location.

Traffic police at Lyndhurst police station have appealed for anyone who witnessed the tragic incident to contact them on 0845 045 4545.