My baby’s in the car!
Mother’s agony after sons are killed in hit-and-run by Audi ‘racing a Bentley’
‘It was like an oncoming train’
A TODDLER and his ten-yearold brother were killed when their car was hit by a vehicle racing against a six-litre Bentley, witnesses said yesterday.
Pawanveer Singh, who was 23 months, and his brother Sanjay were killed when their mother’s BMW was hit by an Audi S3 said to be doing twice the speed limit on a 40mph road notorious for races.
Moments earlier, the family had stopped for a takeaway at a chip shop where the boys’ father was working.
The mother, who has not been named, was heard screaming: ‘My baby is in the car, my baby is in the car,’ as the Audi driver fled from the scene in Wolverhampton.
Police last night made a direct appeal to the motorist – described as a 6ft tall male – to give himself up. The driver of the 2006 Bentley Continental GTC convertible, which had a personalised plate, was arrested at the scene on Thursday night.
Witnesses said he initially told onlookers: ‘It wasn’t my fault,’ before driving off and returning 15 minutes later, having apparently changed his clothes.
Off- duty taxi driver Tanveer Hussain, who stopped to help following the collision, said the two speeding cars overtook him moments before the crash.
‘I was coming down the carriageway when the crash happened,’ said the 32-year-old. ‘The cars were going very, very fast. I was doing 40mph but they were doing much more. They went past me in a flash, both of them.
‘The Bentley convertible was in front, and then the Audi S3 was chasing behind. I heard a bang in the distance but I didn’t realise the extent of what had happened until I got to the junction [where it happened]. I pulled over and got out and tried to help. The mother was in shock. Her child was dead and she didn’t even realise. It was horrible.’
A nearby resident, who did not want to be named, added: ‘My son looked out of the window as these cars revved past.
‘He said it was like an oncoming train – the speed they were doing was incredible. You have it all the time on this dual carriageway, fast-powered cars doing high speeds.’ Simon Williams, 37, another local resident, said: ‘They are always drag racing down here, between each set of traffic lights. Something needs to be done. Enough is enough.’
Birmingham New Road, where the crash happened, is the subject of a High Court injunction that forbids ‘car cruising’ – meeting on a public highway to race or show off cars. Sergeant Paul Hughes, Police’s working unit, serious to from establish said collision West officers whether Midlands investigation were the two victims had been strapped in at the moment of impact. He said the mother had been released from hospital and that it was ‘impossible to comprehend what she and the rest of the family are going through right now’. The identity of the Audi driver is not yet known. Sergeant Hughes yesterday urged the driver of the Audi to contact the police and ‘do the right thing’ to help the grieving family.
He added: ‘You may not be fully aware of the full tragic circumstances, but you now need to speak to us.’
The 31-year- old driver of the Bentley was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving, but has now been released pending further investigations.
New versions of the Continental GTC start at £164,800 and take just 3.7 seconds to reach 60mph from a standstill.