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Girl hit by car after family pleaded for new crossing

News imageBBC A man and a woman stand either side of a brown leather armchair their 12-year-old daughter is sat on in their living room. Her crutches are resting on the arm of the armchair. She is smiling but her parents have quite a serious expression on their faces.BBC
The council told Pallavi and Gopendu a crossing on the stretch of the A38 their daughter, Kiara, was later hit by a car on was not feasible
Maisie Lillywhiteand
Maddie Simpson,Gloucestershire

A 12-year-old girl was hit by a car on a stretch of road where her parents had previously pleaded with a council to install a pedestrian crossing.

Kiara suffered a fractured pelvis after being struck by a vehicle while crossing the A38 Tewkesbury Road in Twigworth, moments after getting off her school bus on 6 May.

Gopendu, Kiara's dad, said he contacted Gloucestershire County Council in October and asked for a pedestrian crossing, but his request was denied.

Roger Whyborn, cabinet member for road safety, said the council was sorry to hear about the incident, adding the speed limit had recently dropped from 50mph (80km/h) to 40mph (64km/h) and may be reduced further.

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Gopendu said there are no pavements, traffic lights or pedestrian crossings when Kiara gets off the school bus.

He said his daughter is "a careful child" who usually crosses the stretch of road safely, despite the blind bends on both sides.

But he received "the phone call which every parent dreads" two weeks ago.

"It appears while crossing the road, [Kiara] got hit by a car, maybe got flown around four meters (13ft) and landed on some wheelie bins," Gopendu said.

Kiara was taken to Bristol Children's Hospital, and it was found her pelvis was fractured in a few places.

News imageA couple, perhaps in their 40s, stand on the side of a road in a semi-rural area on a cloudy day. They are wearing jackets and are standing on a grass verge, bordered by a hedge. There is a bus stop sign behind them. On the other side of the road is a line of new-build houses and a road sign. The road is wet.
Gopendu and Pallavi do not want other parents to go through what they did

"We're just glad that we could get our girl back home; she's on crutches now and the emotional trauma is massive," Gopendu said.

Gloucestershire Constabulary said no arrests were made as it was a non-fault collision.

Kiara is now on a phased return to school, and is using a wheelchair and crutches.

Prior to the crash, she wrote an essay titled What I would change in 2026, in which she highlighted the need for more crossings for children in rural and semi-rural areas of Gloucestershire.

News imageA 12-year-old girl wearing a navy and green rugby shirt and light blue jeans smiles as she stands using crutches in her living room. There is a brown leather armchair behind her.
Kiara, who suffered a fractured pelvis, is now on a phased return to school

"I would like to see some traffic lights so I think that would really help people to cross the road because I was actually really worried at the beginning of the year," Kiara said.

The family have once again urged the council to install a pedestrian crossing on the stretch of road.

Whyborn said "every incident is taken seriously" by the council and the authority will review the circumstances of this crash.

"We are investing a record amount of over £2.6m into our Safer Roads and Community 20s programme, which brings together local insight and collision data to target change where it will make the greatest difference," he said.

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