Young girl killed in crash near Birmingham playground as two men arrested

A young girl has died in a horror car crash near a playground in Birmingham.

Police and ambulance crews scrambled to the scene at around 9.45pm on Sunday following reports that a silver Vauxhall Corsa had careered into pedestrians.

Upon arrival medics found four people – including the child – suffering injuries. The deceased was treated by medics but was confirmed dead at the scene in Upper Highgate Street. Two other women were treated for serious but not life-threatening injuries to their legs, while another child was assessed by paramedics but was not injured and allowed to go home.

Two men, aged 21 and 24, were arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and driving while unfit through drink or drugs. They were taken into custody for questioning.

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Police said a grey Mercedes was in close proximity to the Corsa and that they were treating the incident as a collision between two cars.

Sergeant Paul Hughes, West Midlands Police Serious Collision Investigation Unit, 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.

“We really need to hear from anyone who was in the area around the time and can assist our enquiries.”

“We’re particularly keen to speak to anyone who has dashcam footage,” Sgt Hughes added. “These are early days in our investigation and I’d urge people not to speculate around the circumstances.

“We need to deal with facts so we can complete a thorough investigation, and provide the answers the girl’s family and friends deserve.”

Andy Street, the West Midlands mayor, said the region had a problem with dangerous driving, adding it was clear he and other politicians had more to do to tackle the issue.

“As mayor I know I have a key role to play,” he wrote on X. “I convened partners last summer to push for change, and we’ve made some progress since then on police enforcement & use of speed cameras. But it’s not enough. We owe it to victims’ families to end this needless violence once & for all.”

Anyone who has information about the incident is urged to contact West Midlands Police quoting reference number 4120 of 14/4/24.