Does taxi driver hold clues to smash that left officer fighting for life?
CABBIE URGED TO COME FORWARD AS WITNESS
A TAXI driver who may have witnessed a crash which left a police community support officer fighting for her life has been urged to come forward.
The white taxi was spotted outside a supermarket on CCTV by police investigating the accident which left Pcso Rita Purkayastha with injuries described by the force as “potentially life-changing”.
The on-duty officer was cycling on the A6 Leicester Road in Loughborough when she was involved in a collision with a black Kia Carens.
POLICE have directly appealed for a taxi driver to come forward as a witness to a crash which left a police community support officer fighting for her life.
The car was spotted in CCTV footage during an investigation of the incident, which took place in Loughborough last week and left Pcso Rita Purkayastha in a critical condition in hospital.
She was on duty and cycling on the A6 Leicester Road in the town when she was involved in a collision with a black Kia Carens at about 8.30pm on Monday, October 4.
Pcso Purkayastha was cycling towards the town centre when she was in a collision with the car, leaving her with injuries described by the force as “potentially life-changing”.
She was taken to hospital, where she has remained since.
Police have now asked the driver of a white Toyota, either a Corolla or Auris estate, to come forward as it is believed he or she may have information that could help.
As a result of subsequent CCTV inquiries, officers from the force’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit noticed the white taxi which had stopped outside a supermarket on the other side of the road at the time the collision occurred.
Detective Sergeant Paul Hawkins said: “We know that the taxi was first in a line of vehicles which may have seen or captured dashcam footage of the collision.
“It was travelling from the junction of Southfield Road and Jubilee Way towards the outer ring road.
“We know that the taxi would have been within metres of the collision, as it had pulled over outside the supermarket for around three minutes before driving away from Loughborough town centre.
“If you are the driver of that car, or you know who that person is, then please get in touch as soon as possible.”
Following the collision, a 40-yearold man from Loughborough was arrested on suspicion of causing serious injury by dangerous driving and driving while under the influence of drugs. He was later released under investigation.
Anyone with information has been asked to contact police via their website and quoting reference 21*577000 or by calling 101.
The appeal comes following a vigil held for her “spiritual strength” at the weekend.
The International Society for Krishna Consciousness held a vigil for Rita on Sunday afternoon (October 10) at its temple in Granby Street.
Posting on Twitter, a spokesman for the Hindu temple said her condition “remains critical”.
The tweet said: “Rita’s condition remains critical, so we continue to pray for her spiritual strength and protection.”
A JustGiving page has also been set up to assist the family during this difficult time. The £500 goal was more than tripled by yesterday afternoon, with members of the local community donating £1,831.