By David LennardA BABY girl who was seriously injured in a road accident has died from her injuries in hospital.The 13-month-old baby was in a car, believed to have been driven by her mother, when it left the A12 at Henham, near Southwold, on Saturday afternoon.

By David Lennard

A BABY girl who was seriously injured in a road accident has died from her injuries in hospital.

The 13-month-old baby was in a car, believed to have been driven by her mother, when it left the A12 at Henham, near Southwold, on Saturday afternoon.

The girl was taken to the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Sick Children in London, where her condition was described as “poorly”.

But a spokeswoman for Suffolk police said staff at the hospital had contacted them yesterday afternoon to say that the youngster had died.

The woman driver of the car and two other children, aged five and seven, escaped with only minor injuries from the accident.

She was driving her bronze Fiat Bravo car northwards along the A12 when it failed to negotiate a left-hand bend, left the road and struck a tree at about 2.15pm.

Suffolk police have refused to name the youngster who died until all relatives have been informed, but it is believed the family come from the London area.

The accident has stunned people living in the Henham area as there have been a number of fatalities in recent years.

Earlier this year Suffolk County Council introduced a 40mph speed restriction on the stretch of the A12 at Henham in an attempt to reduce the number of serious accidents.

The Rev Simon Ward, of the Sole Bay Ministry, said: “Naturally, one is shocked by the immense sadness of this situation and we find it hard to express how we feel.

“We will remember the family in our thoughts and prayers and even though they were not from here, it is still a deeply-shocking incident for the local community when this sort of thing happens.”

In August last year, motorcyclist Brian Spatchett, from Aldeburgh, was killed when his machine crashed on the A12 at Henham. No other vehicle was involved in the accident and the 63-year-old died of severe head injuries.

In August 2000, June Gregory Smith died when the car she was travelling in left the A12 at Henham and struck a tree.

Mrs Gregory Smith died of her injuries, but her three-week old son survived as he was strapped in a baby seat.

david.lennard@eadt.co.uk