A truck driver wept this morning as he told the family of a teenage girl how she was fatally injured when she was hit by his vehicle while on the way home from college.

Jason Sessions, of Wallington breakdown service Rescue 247, broke down in tears as he described how Claudia Jennifer Landa stepped in front of his vehicle on Wednesday, April 2.

Giving evidence at her inquest this morning, he said: "I was driving along from my workplace in Hackbridge, I was heading towards Mitcham along Carshalton Road and I see the young girl ahead of me and as I'm driving she just walked straight in front of me."

His voice cracked as he added: "I tried to swerve, I tried my hardest, but I couldn't avoid her."

Seventeen-year-old Claudia was listening to her iPod as she made her way home from Richmond College at about 4pm when she was hit as she crossed the road to reach the 127 bus stop in Carshalton Road.

Wayne White, 15, who was standing at the bus stop when the collision took place, said he watched the striking girl with dyed-blue hair walking down the road from the direction of Mitcham train station.

He saw her step into the road opposite him, there was a sound of impact as the passing lorry obscured her from view and then he saw her "spinning" before she hit the ground.

Mr Sessions continued a short way down the road until he could stop safely and then called an ambulance, while Wayne rushed over to Claudia to check if she had a pulse.

When London Ambulance Service arrived at the scene just after 4pm she was in cardiac arrest and her head was surrounded by a pool of blood.

They managed to resuscitate her and she was taken to the Royal London Hospital by air ambulance.

Tragically, after two days in intensive care, she was pronounced dead on Friday, April 4, having suffered a severe brain injury.

Claudia's mother, Naomi Martin, hugged Mr Sessions' partner who said "I'm so sorry", at the end of the inquest today which assistant coroner HM Russell Caller said was "particularly tragic for the families and also the parties involved."

Speaking at Westminster Coroner's Court today, he said: "From the evidence this morning we learned about Claudia, an intelligent young woman who had been studying drama, English literature, world development and photography at Richmond College and was looking forward to a camping holiday with her family and was hoping to attend Manchester University.

"Her life was all before her and she was making her way across a busy road between Carshalton and Mitcham and was noticed by a young boy who was clearly attracted to Claudia and what she was wearing, a multi-coloured top and black jeans and provided evidence of her last moments and how she inadvertently stepped into the road of an oncoming lorry."

Sergeant Victoria Benbow, the lead investigator on the case, said she believed Claudia was hit by the front wing mirror of the lorry, rotating along the side of the truck before she hit the ground.

She said Mr Session was driving at 39mph and sounded his horn half a second before the collision.

Although the speed limit in Carshalton Road is 30mph, Sgt Benbow said a speed of 30mph wouldn't have prevented Mr Sessions' truck from hitting Claudia.

Delivering a narrative verdict, the coroner praised the efforts of the emergency services who did "everything they could" to save Claudia, but to no avail.

He added: "I need also to mention that this has been a traumatic time for the driver of the vehicle who has to live with this for a long period of time but ultimately my sympathies lie most with the family."

Reflecting on the inquest today, Ms Martin said: 

"Although today was awful, it did give me the facts. I listened very carefully, for my sake and for Claudia's sake.  

"I do not want to have to go over those details again.  

"Claudia clearly received every ounce of professional and medical care that was available, and I was struck by the number of people who worked so very hard to save her life.  

"In the end, this was impossible.  I cannot fault what they did, nor the caring and professional way the police have carried out their investigations and kept us informed.  

"There were strangers whom I may never meet who stepped forward at the time to help and comfort Claudia.  

"I am glad they were there for her and did what they could.  None of this consoles me but there is, perhaps a sense of the goodness in people. That will do for now."  

Tributes to Claudia from friends and family flooded into the Wimbledon Guardian after her death in April.

Ms Martin said friends are hoping to raise money for a memorial bench in BedZEDers' field, where Claudia played as a child.

She leaves behind her mother, stepfather Simon Courage and 11-year-old brother Louis.