11th floor resident 'heard screaming' as young girl killed in Highgate road smash

A resident said he rushed outside after hearing "screaming" from his 11th floor flat moments after acrash which left a young girl dead. The tragedy has led a shaken Mohammed Ibrahim to call for new road safety measures in his area.

The fatal crash happened in Upper Highgate Street, Highgate, at around 9.45pm on Sunday, April 14. Police said a silver Corsa had hit pedestrians including a four-year-old girl who was killed.

Two men were arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and driving while unfit through drink or drugs. Mr Ibrahim, who lives in Wilmcote Tower, only metres away from the crash scene, said last night's tragedy was "very sad".

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The 36-year-old called for speed bumps to be built on Upper Highgate Street which he described as "dangerous". He told BirminghamLive: "It was around 9.35pm or 9.40pm when a family of four people were trying to cross the road and then they were hit by a car."

Pointing to a broken metal fence outside the high-rise, he added: "The car went through there and then the police came. We came outside immediately.

"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."

An 87-year-old woman, who chose not be named, agreed with Mr Ibrahim. She said: "I live in the flats here [Wilmcote Tower]. Three times I’ve nearly been ran over. Instead of going up the top, they’re coming down this side road by us.

“I’m 87. I’ve been crossing [Upper Highgate Street] for a long time. One time a driver came the wrong way and almost hit me. It can be really frightening.”

Del, who also lives in the high-rise, told us at the scene: “It’s terrible. I’ve just woken up to this as I’m off work today. Anything bad that happens around here, you’re not shocked. There’s a lot of things that happen around here.”

A group of teachers from a nearby school gathered at the scene of the fatal crash this afternoon. Visibly emotional, they stood in silence for several minutes at the tragic spot before moving on.

Two police officers were seen carrying out door-to-door enquiries in the area. Detective Sergeant Paul Hughes added: "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.

"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 girls family and friends deserve."

Anyone with information should contact police by calling 101, quoting log 4120 of 14/4/24. Alternatively, contact the Serious Collision Investigation Unit directly by emailing sciu@westmidlands.police.uk