Ruislip & Eastcote & Northwood Gazette
Tragic death of boy who ran out into road
INQUEST HEARS DRIVER SWERVED TO TRY TO AVOID HITTING FOUR YEAR OLD
THE mum of a four-year-old boy who was killed in a horrific car crash in West London desperately chased after him as he ran out into the middle of the road after treating him to a KFC, an inquest heard.
Agarwin Sasikaran, from Hayes in Hillingdon, darted out from a pelican crossing on Uxbridge Road on October 11, 2020, after visiting the popular fast food restaurant for some popcorn chicken.
Standing in between his mum Aklaya and big brother Sarwin, Agarwin, who had only just started school, ran out from the central reservation, when he was hit by a black Vauxhall Astra travelling at 39 miles per hour. The driver of the vehicle, Stacey Wollomore, swerved in a frantic bid to avoid him.
Such was the force of the crash was that Agarwin, whose parents are a shopkeeper and a housewife, was thrown 15 metres into the air and landed further down the street.
Emergency services rushed to the scene, and despite treatment on the roadside, and later at St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, he had sustained unsurvivable brain injuries and could not be saved.
He died at around 2.30am the following morning, two months before his fifth birthday.
The four-year-old was struck by a Vauxhall Astra travelling along Uxbridge Road in Hayes, near the junction of Shakespeare Avenue
Mum Aklaya told West London Coroner’s Court: “I had given the children lunch at home, Agarwin wanted popcorn chicken from KFC for supper. I told the children we would take the food home, I was carrying a Tesco bag.
“I was holding his hand as we walked towards the crossing. We crossed the road until we got to the central reservation, and then pressed the button to allow us to cross the second half of the road.
“As I pressed the button, he ran out onto the road and I saw a car coming. I thought the car would slow down, but it didn’t. I was pushed to the ground when he was hit.”
In a witness statement, driver Ms Wollomore said: “I was with my ex-partner James Batkins, driving towards Hayes Police station to visit his mum, in the lane closest to the barriers. The traffic lights were green, and I noticed a young boy standing slightly ahead of his mother. I swerved to the left to try to avoid colliding with him, and I saw his mum run out to try and grab him - but it was too late.”
Her then-partner James tried to apply handbrake as she swerved and slammed on the brakes herself. The driver of an Audi A3 who was travelling alongside the scene noticed no issues with Stacey’s driving.
Subsequent investigations found that the tread depth on the front tires was below the legal limit, but the court heard that those defects would not have caused the collision. CCTV footage showed that the driver stopped in under a second while travelling at 39 miles per hour in a 40 miles per hour zone.
Ms Wollomore has required specialist support since the crash and said she was filled with remorse following the tragic incident, the court was told. Meanwhile, Agarwin’s family has moved to another part of the country in hopes of getting a fresh start elsewhere. No evidence of any criminal offences was found
An inquest into Agarwin’s death took place on April 12, 2022, at West London Coroner’s Court
Giving evidence, Met Police officer PC Corrine Grant told the court that at around 7pm, she was on duty in a marked vehicle with colleagues when she was called to attend the scene on Uxbridge Road, close to the junction with Shakespeare Avenue.
She said: “We arrived at the scene at 7.10pm where paramedics were treating the boy. He was lying on his back, they were attempting CPR but the child looked to be unconscious.” After being taken to hospital, Agarwin had a CT scan, before his condition drastically deteriorated in a paediatric intensive care unit.
A neurosurgeon reviewed the scans that his injuries were unsurvivable and surgical invention would be futile. Intensive care therapy was withdrawn after doctors spoke to the parents.
Dr Rebecca Mitting, who works for Imperial College NHS Healthcare Trust, confirmed Agarwin was a previously healthy four-year-old boy before the tragedy. He was put on a ventilator and had suffered catastrophic head and upper torso injuries in the crash. He was unconscious and unresponsive. While specialist treatment was attempted, it was unsuccessful due to large swellings in the brain
Recording a conclusion of road traffic collision, assistant coroner Ivor Collett told the court: “In this case, I find that this was a tragic accident, which was unsurvivable. A young family were going out to enjoy a KFC but it ended in this tragic outcome.
“Agarwin Sasikaran was a four-year-old boy who was holding his mum’s hand while crossing the road with his brother. The family had safely reached the central reservation and they were going to wait until they were allowed to cross the rest of the road.
“It’s not my job to find out whether anyone is to blame, but I must consider the driving of the car.
“The police carried out a very thorough investigation. I am satisfied that the driver made no mistakes. This terrible accident happened because children can behave unpredictably.