A FEMALE pedestrian was seriously injured after a lorry shed part of its load as it travelled through a Hampshire village.
The HGV was heading west on the A35 when the accident occurred in the centre of Lyndhurst, leaving the pavement covered in debris.
It happened near a bus stop outside the former Lyndhurst Park Hotel, which is about to be demolished and replaced by housing.
Police closed the eastern end of the main shopping street between its junctions with the A337 Lyndhurst to Lymington road and the B3056 Lyndhurst to Beaulieu route.
The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance was sent to the scene and landed at Boltons Bench, a large area of grassland behind the hotel.
Paramedics rushed to the aid of the 23-year-old casualty, from Totton, who was taken to University Hospital Southampton after receiving emergency treatment.
Jonah Norris, who works at Black Star Records in the High Street, said: "I believe a pallet fell of a truck and injured a pedestrian.
"I saw three ambulances and two police cars. You could tell that something was happening.
"Lyndhurst is normally quite a sleepy place and you know when something is going on. There's a feeling in the village."
Other traders said the first they knew of the incident was when traffic stopped passing their shops.
The lorry involved pulled over immediately afterwards and was left parked opposite the Willow Tree Cafe with its hazard warning lights on.
Traffic heading into Lyndhurst from the Ashurst direction was diverted down the A337. Lorries, buses and a coach were among the vehicles caught up the disruption.
The accident happened shortly after noon yesterday and resulted in the eastern end of Southampton Road being closed for several hours.
A Hampshire police spokesperson: "The circumstances reported to police are that pallets of bricks have become dislodged from a lorry and struck a pedestrian, who has suffered serious injuries.
"She has been taken to hospital for treatment. Enquiries into the exact circumstances remain ongoing."
A Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance spokesperson confirmed that the helicopter was sent to what they described as a trauma incident.
They added that a critical care team comprising a doctor and paramedics treated the casualty before they were taken to hospital.
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