Teenager knocked down and killed after being hit by minibus full of pupils from another school as she crossed the road

Tragic: Bethany Louise Crook, 14, was hit at 6pm on Wednesday night as she walked along the A590 in Cumbria

A group of private school pupils watched in horror as a teenage girl was knocked over and killed by the minibus they were travelling in, it emerged yesterday.
Bethany Louise Crook, 14, was hit as she crossed the road near her home in Cumbria.
The bus was carrying seven pupils, all aged 16 and 17, from the £28,000-a-year Windermere School in the Lake District.
They looked on as the vehicle careered into Bethany, who was treated by paramedics at the scene but died later in hospital.
Last night, the girl’s family paid tribute to the ‘beautiful and happy’ teenager, who went to another local school, Ulverston Victoria High.
In a statement, they said: ‘Bethany was a very happy girl who enjoyed spending time with her family and friends.
‘She was a very beautiful girl. It hasn’t really sunk in properly yet that she has gone.
‘Of course there are lots of tears. She has received lots of tributes on Facebook from lots of people.
‘They are very hard to read, but also very nice to see what a popular girl she was.’
They added: ‘We are missing her so much.’
Bethany, from the village of Lindal-in-Furness, was hit at 6pm on Wednesday as she walked along the A590 between Lindal and  Cross-A-Moor, near Barrow-in-Furness.
It is understood she was crossing the 60mph road as a shortcut home after staying behind at school to do some revision.
She was treated at the roadside but taken to Furness General Hospital, where she died.
The male driver of the  minibus, aged 26, was taking the Windermere School pupils to an event in Barrow-in-Furness.
He was spoken to at the scene, but was not arrested. Police said investigations are continuing.
Windermere School declined to say whether the minibus driver was a member of staff.

Tribute: Bethany was described as 'a very happy girl who enjoyed spending time with her family and friends'

None of the pupils were injured but many were so shocked by the incident that they are receiving counselling at school.
Last night, Bethany’s friends paid tribute to a ‘special, beautiful girl’, who was a One Direction fan and had seen the band in concert last weekend.

Jess Wharton said: ‘This was a special girl who was loved by everyone and who was my heart and soul.’
Sophie Brzezinski added: ‘My best friend, my angel, I miss you so much. I love you. RIP.’
Yesterday, teachers at Bethany’s school said she was ‘extremely popular’ and was heavily involved in performing arts.

Education: Bethany was a pupil at Cumbria's Ulverston Victoria High School, which said it was 'devastated'

A spokesman added: ‘Bethany’s many friends in school, her teachers, our governors and all our school community are devastated at the news.
‘She was a quiet, responsible and hard-working student, described by her teachers as being wonderful.

'She was extremely popular and made a great contribution to the life of our school, particularly in the performing arts, but just by being Bethany'

Ulverston Victoria High School

A spokesman for Windermere School said: ‘We extend our deepest sympathies to her family and friends. We will of course be offering the police any assistance necessary in their investigations into the incident.
‘We have given this very sad news to the school this morning and we are offering pastoral support to any student or member of staff who would find this helpful, especially those students who were on the minibus.’
Windermere School is a co-educational boarding and day school that overlooks the lake that gives it its name.
The school, which is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year, has around 400 pupils, aged from as young as three, up to 18.
The road was closed for five hours on Wednesday while officers from the Roads Policing Unit and Collision Investigation Unit analysed the scene.

Boarding school: The 26-year-old male driver of the minibus and seven pupils from £28,000-a-year Windermere School (pictured) in the Lake District, all aged 16 and 17, were travelling to an event in Barrow

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