A 10-year-old girl, who was killed by a lorry as she tried to cross the road on her way to school, was wearing earphones, an inquest was told today.
Latoya Smith was changing buses because there was so much traffic on the road when she was struck by a lorry in Peckham. She died of her injuries in January, 2010.
An inquest into her death heard today that the schoolgirl attempted to cross the road near a junction where temporary traffic lights had been installed. The usual pedestrian crossing had been closed, and a sign was also put up that said 'No Crossing Here'.
Witnesses told the jury inquest at Southwark Coroners' Court that she had one earphone in her ear after she was hit and the other was lying on the ground.
Abisamad Abdulle said the little girl was hit when she was almost half way across the road.
He said: "The lorry ran over her leg and back. I don't think he saw her because he didn't stop for a while.
"When I got to her, she was on the ground, her hood was up and I saw one earphone in her ear and the other on the ground."
Latoya's mother Grace Johnson said Latoya had been changing bus at Peckham Rye because there was so much traffic.
She said that the bus change was not her usual journey from their Penge home but her daughter had previously told her that 'others did it because the jams which held up the bus'.
She told the inquest: "I told her not to."
In evidence she said that her daughter was doing well at school and liked maths and reading. She said that she had wanted to be a teacher and was a talented athlete. She was part of the school's girl's rugby team and had won a strong of medals for her sporting prowess.
The court heard that her mum had walked her to her bus stop and said goodbye only to be informed of the accident by police later in the morning.
Asked about her road sense she told the court: "She (Latoya) was good at crossing the road."
A post mortem showed that Latoya died from injuries sustained in the collision. The inquest, which is due to last five days, continues.