Driver who was being towed by AA and died when his broken-down car veered off the road, flipped and broke free before hitting another vehicle- Vauxhall Zafira driver's car was hit by oncoming vehicle in Croydon
- Abdullah Bakar, 48, rushed to hospital where he later died
- Eyewitness Naz Dagnell said: 'It was like a big thunder crash'
A minicab boss was killed in a freak accident when a car being towed by the AA broke free and collided with an oncoming vehicle.
Abdullah Bakar called the emergency breakdown service when his minivan’s clutch stopped working while he was on his way to work.
Unable to fix the Vauxhall Zafira by the side of the road, the AA patrolman began to tow the vehicle using a fixed rigid bar.
This meant Mr Bakar, a father of seven, had to sit in the van and steer.
Witnesses say the car suddenly veered to one side as it was travelling down a straight section of road.
It hit a bank of earth on the verge and became detached from the AA vehicle before crashing head-on into a car driving the other way.
Mr Bakar, 48, was taken by ambulance to hospital following the collision in Croydon, South London, but was pronounced dead at St George’s Hospital in Tooting.
Police are investigating exactly what caused the minivan to break away from the AA vehicle.
Mr Bakar came to Britain after fleeing war-torn Somalia in the early 1990s.
He worked as a minicab driver and part-owned a firm that specialised in taking passengers to airports around London.
Staff at his company said he had taken more driving roles recently while he studied for ‘the Knowledge’ test of London streets so he could become a licensed black cab driver.
Business colleague Usman Patel, 45, who runs Easy Cars in Battersea, South London, said Mr Bakar was a ‘wonderful family man’.
‘It is a very difficult time for us here as he was a very well-loved and respected man.
'We don’t even know what has happened as he was a very cautious driver and seems to have been towed at the time.
‘It’s very upsetting as I think he has seven children and I’ve met his oldest boy who is 18. He was a wonderful family man who loved his children very much.’
A post-mortem examination held yesterday gave the cause of death as a head injury.
A man travelling in the second car was taken to hospital before being released.
Naz Dagnell, who heard the crash just after 9am on Tuesday, said: ‘It was like a big thunder crash. Then I heard the sirens going up the road and saw the air ambulance.
'It’s really sad to hear of something like this happening so close to your doorstep.’
Mr Bakar’s family, who live in Croydon, were too upset to speak last night.
A Met Police spokesman said: ‘It appears the victim was in a black Vauxhall Zafira which was being towed by a recovery vehicle on a rigid bar.
'The car being towed then appeared to swerve before colliding with a bank at the side of the road and breaking free from the towing vehicle.
‘A second vehicle was subsequently in collision with the Vauxhall.’
An AA spokesman said: ‘Following the tragic incident involving an AA member, our thoughts are with the families and friends of those involved.
'The incident is under investigation so we are unable to comment further.’
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