A Bristol schoolgirl killed after being hit by a van on a busy road was scared to use a subway where a gang of youths had congregated, an inquest heard today.

Daisy Witney, 13, stepped into the path of an oncoming Ford Transit van as she was going to a sleepover at her friend’s house.

An inquest into her death today heard that Daisy and her friend Sarah Cox, also 13, had been scared to use the underpass metres away because a group of youths was there shouting abuse.

It is thought Daisy did not see the van approaching and stepped out into the road before trying to turn back as she realised the imminent danger at around 7.15pm on November 3 last year.

But as she turned back to the safety of the central reservation the driver of the van, Phillip Houston, 38, steered to avoid her, hitting her in Rodford Way, Yate.

The van ran over Daisy as it came to a stop, trapping her under the wheels. Daisy died instantly from multiple injuries.

Flax Bourton Coroners Court, in North Somerset, heard that the van had been travelling below the 40 miles per hour limit.

Sarah said in a statement to the court: “We didn’t use the nearby subway because a group of youths were there shouting abuse.

“I saw the van come about 20 metres away I stopped but Daisy kept walking.

“Daisy made a mistake and went out without looking. I shouted ’No’ as she stepped out.”

Collision investigator PC David Horsley told the court there was nothing that Mr Houston could have done to avoid impact with Daisy.

When asked by Deputy Coroner Terrence Moore why the girls decided to cross the road rather than use the underpass, he said: “Such crossing facilities do not encourage the public to use them.

“At night they are renowned for attracting unsavoury characters, putting the public at fear of using them so that they would rather take the risk of crossing the carriageway.

“The underpass is the safest option on paper but people need to be encouraged to use them.”

Deputy Coroner Mr Moore recorded a verdict of accidental death.

Residents near the underpass say groups of up to 30 teenagers often congregate around the underpass at night, drinking alcohol and intimidating people.

In 2007 police and community support officers were given extra powers to break up and send home groups of youths near the underpass and shops close by.

The dispersal order ran out six months before Daisy’s death.