Boy, 10, hit by police car while crossing the road

Freddy Mayhew Thursday, February 14, 2013
7:50 PM

A 10-year-old boy was hit by a police car while crossing the road in Dagenham today.

Paramedics at the scene of the incident in Heathway, Dagenham /Picture via twitter by Ross Mernick

The marked police car, which had its sirens and lights on, hit the boy just after 4pm when he was crossing at a set of traffic lights on the junction of Parsloes Avenue and Heathway.

Witnesses claim the boy was conscious and crying following the collision, and he was taken to hospital for treatment. The police officer stopped at the scene but did not need treatment.

Nazia Akhtar was on her way to a friend’s with her brother Nadeem when she witnessed the crash from her car.

The 26-year-old said: “We were just at the traffic lights and the police officer was driving with his sirens on, really fast.

Police at the scene in Heathway, Dagenham /Picture by Paul Bennett

“We heard the sirens for about 20 seconds and then when I looked left I saw the police car do a sharp turn and it hit the boy and sent him flying a couple of metres along the road.”

She said the police officer stopped and ran over to the boy immediately after the incident, adding that he was visibly shaken and upset.

Another witness, 30, said: “The boy looked about 10 years old and I think he was with his little brother. He did a couple of somersaults and his shoes flew off.”

He added that following the incident, the boy was “rolling around in pain and crying”.

Collision investigators from the MPS Traffic unit attended the scene to carry out enquiries.