Residents have condemned ‘boy racers’ on a 20mph street after a four-year-old girl was killed by a ‘drink and drug driver’ as she walked down the pavement.
Two men, 21 and 24, have been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and driving while unfit through drink or drugs following the incident along Upper Highgate Street, Birmingham.
Two women were also hurt but their injuries were not life threatening, while another young child escaped uninjured.
All four people were hit by a silver Corsa just after 9.45pm on Sunday, which police say had collided with a Mercedes before crashing into the pedestrians.
The tragedy sparked calls from locals for urgent action to tackle speeding drivers in the second city – as the area is home to a number of tower blocks and 20mph speed limit zones.
People living near the scene of the crash said motorists regularly drove at reckless speeds and use the residential street as a short cut to avoid speed cameras elsewhere in the city.
Emergency services rushed to the scene at Upper Highgate Street (pictured) at 9.45pm yesterday, after reports that four pedestrians had been mowed down by a vehicle
A young girl has died and two women injured after a car ploughed into them on Upper Highgate Street
Video footage shows one man being led away by officers following the collision
One local resident claimed that drivers continued ‘flying’ down the road even while paramedics were treating the injured girl at the scene, were she was later pronounced dead.
The man who witnessed the aftermath of the crash said: ‘It’s disgusting, something has to be done. Its the boy racers coming down here so fast. The poor child. People were speeding past even while they were trying to save her.’
Police have appealed for CCTV and dashcam footage from the incident, while West Midlands mayor Andy Street said the region had a ‘systemic problem of dangerous driving’.
He wrote on X: ‘A 4-year-old has lost her life – on a pavement outside a playground, where she should have been safe.
‘We owe it to victims’ families to end this needless violence once and for all.’
An 87-year-old woman, who chose to not be named said the roads in the area can be ‘frightening’.
She said: ‘I’ve been crossing this road [Upper Highgate Street] for a long time. One time a driver came the wrong way and almost hit me.’
Mohammed Ibrahim, 36, heard the sound of screaming moments after the crash. He said: ‘I live on the 11th floor so when we heard voices, screaming, we came down and found something had happened here. It’s very sad. We need [speed] bumps in this road. It’s very dangerous.’
West Midlands Ambulance Service said staff immediately began administering advanced life support to the child who was critically injured after arriving at the scene but she could not be saved.
One of the railings which has been ripped from the ground following the road traffic collision yesterday
West Midlands Ambulance Service said three ambulances, two paramedic officers, a MERIT trauma doctor and two critical care paramedics were sent to the scene
Police said the drivers of the vehicles remained at the scene following the crash
Police said the drivers of the vehicles remained at the scene following the crash.
Video footage shows one man being led away by officers. Two men remained in custody last night.
Detective Sergeant Paul Hughes, from the Serious Collision Investigation Unit (SCIU) said: ‘A young girl has tragically lost her life and I can only imagine the pain her loved ones are going through at this awful time.
‘This is deeply upsetting for everyone and we’ll be doing everything we can to support them and get answers to exactly what happened last night.
‘These are early days in our investigation and I’d urge people not to speculate around the circumstances.
He added: ‘We need to deal with facts so we can complete a thorough investigation, and provide the answers the girls family and friends deserve.’