A YOUNG man was today fighting for his life after being struck by a bus in Southampton.

Police have issued an urgent appeal for the public's help in identifying the mystery young man, believed to be aged between 18 and 20.

The victim was hit in a bus lane as he crossed the road at the junction of The Avenue and London Road at about 3.15pm yesterday.

Police said he suffered life-threatening injuries in the crash, which involved a Solent Blue Line bus.

Today investigating officers were trying to trace relatives of the injured man, who is 6ft with short-cropped, dark brown hair.

Police revealed he had been carrying a key-ring which had the name Craig on it.

The man also had several tattoos, including a Union Jack, a bulldog and the word England, as well as having an appendix scar and a scar on one of his shoulders.

After being given emergency treatment at the scene, the man was rushed by ambulance to Southampton General Hospital, where he was in a critical condition.

Police closed off the lane to traffic yesterday while officers carried out investigations at the scene of the collision.

A Hampshire police spokesman said: "The pedestrian was in The Avenue at the junction with London Road when he was hit by a Solent Blue Line bus.

"He suffered life-threatening injuries and police are anxious to identify him."

Anyone with information is urged to call Hampshire police's control room, quoting incident number 630.

A SOUTHAMPTON woman died when her car careered across a busy road, narrowly missing a bus.

Passers-by battled to rescue the middle-aged woman from the wreckage of her small, green car, which came to rest on its side after spinning 180 degrees and striking a tree.

Crash investigators closed Lord's Hill Way immediately after the crash, at about 2pm yesterday, as they tried to establish what had happened.

It is thought that the woman, who has not yet been identified, was local and was taken ill at the wheel. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

A woman driving a Peugeot 306 said she almost hit the oncoming car. She said: "It just came across the road in front of me before crashing into bushes."

Motorcyclist Andy, 30, who would not give his full name, was on the scene seconds later.

"When I arrived the car was still swaying on its side," he said. "The number 22 bus had just pulled into the layby in front of it, but I was more concerned about getting access to the vehicle.

"There was a little smoke coming from the engine but that stopped when I turned the ignition off. There were three other people who had stopped - two were NHS staff and I helped them get inside the vehicle to check the woman's pulse."

He said she did not appear to have suffered any injuries during the accident.

Police, fire crews and an ambulance were at the scene minutes later - and police raced to cordon off the area before pupils emerged from nearby Oaklands School.

Senior investigating officer Paula Hennighan said: "It appears that the woman collapsed at the wheel but we're still carrying out investigations."