BASILDON, England, March 14 (UPI) -- A 12-year-old English schoolgirl died at a hospital Tuesday shortly after she was hit in the chest by a rugby ball during physical education class.

Witnesses said Leonie Nice, a student at Woodlands Comprehensive in Basildon, Essex, was trying to catch the ball when it hit her, The Guardian reported. She fell over in an apparent fit.


Andy White, the school's head teacher, described Leonie as "a promising, delightful and kind girl."

"Leonie keeled over and appeared to go into a fit," he said. "Our trained first-aiders gave CPR at the scene and the ambulance arrived quickly. Leonie was taken by ambulance to Basildon Hospital where, despite everyone's best efforts, Leonie was pronounced dead."

Leonie was the second English student to be killed in a sports accident in a few weeks. Kyle Rees, 16, died after being hit on the head by a cricket ball at Portchester School in Bournemouth.