Stechford community rocked for second time after man killed in hit-and-run crash
Another life has been lost on our roads
A community has been rocked for the second time in three years after another life was lost in a hit-and-run crash in the exact same road. A man was killed when he was struck by a car in Audley Road, outside Stechford Retail Park, at around 9.10pm last night.
Paramedics said nothing could be done to save him - a sentence that, by now, will be far too familiar with some of our readers. A hunt is underway to find the driver involved.
The tragedy happened almost three years since 23-year-old dad Kyle Jones died after a fatal crash in the same street. Kyle, known as 'Ky Ky', was on his motorbike when he was hit by BMW driver Anusan Arumainayagam.
READ MORE: Stechford hit and run live as pedestrian killed near Retail Park
Arumainayagam, who fled the scene after the smash, was doing 75mph in the 30mph zone at the time of the impact. He was later jailed after he admitted a charge of causing death by dangerous driving.
Both tragedies have left a mark on this community. A dad, who moved from London to Stechford four years ago, told us this morning: “RIP to him. It’s really bad around here."
The Wyndhurst Road resident added: “Because Audley Road is so straight, you get a lot of drivers speeding here and running the red light at the bottom. We’ve had all sorts in this area since moving four years ago.”
Dad Richard O’Leary said last night's tragedy was “sad”. “There’s no need for it to happen,” said the 46-year-old who lives in nearby Albert Road.“I’ve never killed anyone on the road, nor has anyone I know, thank god, yet you hear of it happening all the time in Birmingham. What's that about? We’ve got to be safer, somehow."
The dad-of-two said his children make their own way to school every week. "I couldn’t imagine something like this happening to them," he said.
Hannah Riley, out walking her dog, said drivers "race" outside her home in Rymond Road "quite a lot". But she said it pales in comparison to what she witnesses in Audley Road.
Standing at the edge of the police scene, near to a blue forensic tent, she told us: "You get it especially here. Drivers bomb up and down it - I’ve seen it myself.”
The 28-year-old added: “I think, being so near to the shops, it attracts a lot of people. It’s always really busy here, so you’re always going to get some bad drivers.”
West Midlands Police said it's eager to hear from anyone with information about the incident, including from drivers with dash-cam footage. John, who also lives on Wyndhurst Road, said he has already offered to help investigators.
He told us that his car has dash-cam footage which was pointing towards the bottom of Flaxley Road last night. “If the driver went that way, my dash-cam will have picked them up,” he said. “I told police that."
John added: “The camera might have stopped working now, but at the time it was definitely running. So if the car came that way from the hit-and-run, it would have captured it."
Referring to Kyle Jones who lost his life in almost the same spot, John said: "I offered police [dash-cam video] for a similar incident a few years ago too. Same position exactly. There was a bloke on a bike who was hit. It was really bad."
Before we left the scene, we spoke to Tina, whose partner lives in the area. She said: “I only come here to see my boyfriend, so I don’t actually know the area very well at all, but it’s horrible that someone has died.
"Makes you feel grateful for stuff, you know? Life is really delicate.”
Anyone with information about this tragedy should contact police by calling 101, quoting log 3687 of February 9. Information can also be given anonymously by calling Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.