Death-crash dad’s driving was ‘suicidal’
A MAN whose daughter died after the car he was driving at almost double the speed limit hit a brick wall was behaving in a ‘reckless and suicidal’ manner, a court has heard.
Medical researcher Dr Chizoro Edohasim, 47, from Altrincham, denies causing the death of his nine-year-old daughter Olivia and serious injury to another daughter Eva, 11 at the time of the incident, both by dangerous driving, on Saturday, May 7, last year.
In his opening statement, prosecutor Andrew Nuttall told the jury at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court how the defendant had been driving his automatic Toyota Auris ‘far short of what would be expected by a competent driver’ on Stamford Brook Road, Altrincham - and was ‘responsible’ for the death of one daughter and injury to another.
Dr Edohasim was taking his daughters to a maths lesson when he went through a red light at the junction with Manchester Road and crashed into a brick wall opposite at speeds of up to 59mph, the jury heard.
Olivia, who was in the back seat, died at the scene while Eva, in the passenger seat, was taken to Manchester Children’s Hospital for emergency surgery. Both girls had been wearing seatbelts.
Police experts claim the defendant was accelerating at the time of the crash.
Mr Nuttall said: “In their opinion, he drove applying full throttle to the Toyota demanding maximum power travelling at speeds of at least 59mph across the junction – and at no time was the brake ever used.”
The jury was told that Dr Edohasim blames mechanical failure.
Eyewitness Nicholas Gee was driving along Stamford Brook Road in the opposite direction to the defendant.
He told the court: “There was a car overtaking other vehicles in my lane coming towards me.
“I realised that if I didn’t do something it was going to hit me. If I had not stopped there would have been a headon collision.” He added: “The driving was reckless and suicidal.”
Wendy Grainge, who was in another vehicle at the junction, said: “I know that junction well enough to know that at a car travelling at that speed, it would not be able to turn.”
The jury heard that Dr Edohasim, who also suffered serious injuries in the collision, told a police officer at the scene: “My brakes failed.”
The court was read a transcript of the defendant’s interviews with police in which he said: “I have been saving lives as a doctor all my life. This is how the Devil gets me back.”
He told officers he applied the brakes twice. He said: “I remember thinking, ‘God, is this how it ends...My right foot was in the brake pressing down as hard as I could. I was thinking we were finished because the car failed to stop.”
Proceeding