Taxi Driver Online

Employers of taxi driver involved boy's tragic death on Manchester Road speak out

A Bradford taxi firm has confirmed one of their drivers was arrested after a seven-year-old boy was killed in a crash on Manchester Road last night.

The accident happened at the junction with St Stephen's Road at around 10pm.

The 29-year-old driver of a black Toyota Auris Estate remained at the scene and was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.

Witnesses said they saw the black Toyota - with Metro Taxis written on the side - stopped in a bus lane, around 50 metres further up Manchester Road from where the boy was hit.

It had both its front doors open and was surrounded by police and forensics investigators.

Liaquat Khan, an operator at Metro Taxis, based in Bradford, confirmed one of the firm's drivers had been arrested in connection with the accident.

He said: "It's very sad, what can we say. The young lad has lost his life.

"We've not spoken to the driver yet because he's still locked up."

Liaquat said the owner of the company, Safraz Fazil, is out of the country at the moment and neither he nor the police have been able to get hold of him.

An Accident and Emergency nurse at Bradford Royal Infirmary who lives in St Stephen's Road, just yards from the scene of the accident, described the scene last night.

Sabah Hama said he was in the bath when his children shouted to say they had heard a scream outside.

When he got outside there were, "dozens of police and ambulance vehicles blocking off Manchester Road and parts of surrounding roads".

Sabah said he was told by a police officer guarding the scene and an eyewitness who had spoken to police that the boy travelled in the air for around 20 yards after being hit by the taxi.

Sabah added: “From my experience as a nurse at A and E, the ambulance with the child in did not drive away very fast.”

Mohammed Altaf, who also lives nearby, described a similar scene.

"There was more than 20 police vehicles still here when I got back home at 1am," he said.

"There were forensics around the taxi. It was a black Toyota."

"Cars are always speeding along here. In September I think somebody died at kind of the same spot."

His neighbour, Ishfaq Khan, said he has contacted Bradford Council several times about installing more speed cameras on Manchester Road.

"Manchester Road is like a race track," he said. "Whenever they get a chance they get they put their foot down.

"They need 30mph cameras all the way along here. Ten, twenty, however many cameras it takes."

Officers from West Yorkshire Police Major Collision Enquiry Team are carrying out an investigation to establish the full circumstances of the crash and are also working to support the families of those involved.

A spokesperson said: "At approximately 10pm last night (11/8), emergency services were called to reports of a collision involving a car and a pedestrian on Manchester Road, junction with St Stephens Road, Bradford.

"A seven-year-old boy was taken to Bradford Royal Infirmary where sadly he later died as a result of his injuries."

Anyone who witnessed either the collision itself or the movements of the vehicle in the time leading up to it, particularly those with relevant dash-cam footage, is asked to contact MCET via 101 quoting reference number 13200404278.

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IDFIMH

my sympathies to the family.

I think there will be a lot of questions to be answered. The one I would ask is was the boy accompanied or was a 7 year old crossing a busy main road on his own ?

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

its sad that the lad lost his life, but Why was a 7 year old out at that time of night??,