Man cried ‘that’s my wife’ after pregnant woman killed in crash with police car
A heavily pregnant woman and her unborn baby have died in a crash involving an unmarked police car.
The 38-year-old was in a car which collided with the police vehicle on the A20 in Eltham, south-east London, shortly after 6pm on Thursday.
Two Metropolitan Police officers who were in the unmarked car were hospitalised but have since been discharged.
Witness Abubakar said the woman’s husband raced to the scene and held her hand as she lay dying.
He said: ‘When it happened the husband came and he realised it was his wife.
‘He said “my wife, she’s heavily pregnant”.
‘He was holding her hand, trying to talk to her. He was very calm.’
Another witness said she was saw two unmarked police cars and a police motorcycle ‘speeding towards the junction’ and ‘wondered why they were going so fast close to a busy junction’.
She said a few seconds later, the crash occurred.
Floral tributes have been left at the scene along with a candle and cards with one well wisher writing: ‘My deepest thoughts are with you and your baby, your family and friends.’
The note continued: ‘The most awful tragedy that should never of happened [sic] and I hope your family get some justice.
‘RIP beautiful lady and your baby.’
The London Ambulance Service, London Fire Brigade and London’s Air Ambulance all attended.
The Met’s Detective Chief Superintendent Trevor Lawry said his force is assisting the investigation, adding: ‘My heart goes out to the woman’s family and friends who have lost their loved ones in these tragic circumstances.’
The Independent Office for Police Conduct is investigating the incident.
IOPC regional director Mel Palmer said: ‘Our thoughts are with the family and friends of those who have died and all of those affected by this tragic incident.
‘It is important we establish all of the circumstances surrounding this incident and our investigation is in its very early stages.
‘This is a busy road, and the collision happened in the early evening when people are likely to have been travelling.’
Road closures around the scene are in place today, with motorists advised to seek alternative routes.
Got a story? Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk. Or you can submit your videos and pictures here.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
Follow Metro.co.uk on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news updates. You can now also get Metro.co.uk articles sent straight to your device. Sign up for our daily push alerts here.