This is the moment a girl walks across a zebra crossing and is hit by a female motorist, sending her flying in the air before landing in a concrete ditch where her backpack reportedly cushioned her fall and possibly saved her life.

Surveillance cameras captured the accident, which took place outside a school in the village of Bascenii de Sus in the commune of Calvini in Romania’s south-eastern Buzau County, on the morning of 26th May.

The footage shows how the 12-year-old girl leaves her friends and crosses the road on a zebra crossing.

However, an approaching driver fails to stop or even slow down and hits the girl, who tumbles onto the car’s bonnet before being flipped in the air and landing in a concrete ditch at the side of the road.

The girl had a lucky escape, however, as she was wearing a rucksack at the time and landed on the bag, cushioning her fall.

Passersby came to the girl’s aid and called an ambulance, which swiftly arrived on the scene and took her to hospital.

She suffered an injury to the lower back, which was not life-threatening. However, she was kept in hospital overnight to be monitored and was discharged the following day.

The car driver, who stopped after hitting the girl, has been identified as a 30-year-old woman, name not disclosed. She has been charged with causing bodily injury by careless driving.