The Metropolitan Police has confirmed that one of its unmarked vehicles was involved in a tragic crash in Eltham, southeast London, which claimed the life of a heavily pregnant woman and her unborn child.
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Eyewitness Abu Bakr, who witnessed the crash, reported that “three or four” unmarked police cars, accompanied by at least two marked police motorbikes, sped along the road with their sirens on. According to Bakr, an unmarked Volvo, displaying flashing lights, collided with the woman’s blue VW Polo as she was waiting to turn into Sutcliffe Park Sports Centre.
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The plumber, who had been working nearby, said, “The police cars were racing down the road towards the petrol station. I’d estimate they were doing between 70mph and 90mph. My van shook. They didn’t brake at all – they were just hoping she managed to turn in time before they hit her. The police cars were on the wrong side of the road.”
He described the aftermath as harrowing, with the woman’s car flipping three times and losing a wheel. “It was shocking. I’ve never seen anything like that in my life. I was in tears. She was turning from the main road into the leisure centre. Everyone heard the bang. Her husband came out of the leisure centre with their other child, aged about four, in his arms. He was saying, ‘She’s pregnant, she’s due next week.’”
Bakr believes emergency services performed an emergency C-section at the scene. “They got the baby out, so we thought the baby had survived.”
Detective Chief Superintendent Trevor Lawry, who oversees policing in Greenwich, expressed his condolences: “My heart goes out to the woman’s family and friends who have lost their loved ones in these tragic circumstances. An investigation into the circumstances of this collision is under way by the Independent Office for Police Conduct, and we will assist with their inquiries in any way we can.
A spokesperson for the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) confirmed that it is investigating the incident and is appealing for witnesses who may have information related to the crash.
