THE parents of a girl killed in an accident in south London last summer have blamed the police for dragging their investigation into the crash which left another student and around 20 other people injured.
A gold and black Land Rover crashed through the fence into the playground at The Study, an all-girls preparatory school in Wimbledon on July 6, killing Nuria Sajjad and her classmate Selena Lau.
A woman was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and was bailed until this month.
In an exclusive interview with The Times, Sajjad’s parents Smera Chohan and Sajjad Butt paid tribute to their only child revealing that they went through a high-risk pregnancy due to Chohan developing lupus, a condition that weakens the immune system.
“We carried all of this, but she was born perfect,” Chohan told the paper. “She became our reason for being.
She added: “If parents pass away, you call the children orphans. What do you call us? This is not natural.”
Chohan herself suffered a number of serious injuries as a result of the accident, including eight broken ribs, a fractured spine, a broken shoulder and a broken pelvis.
The 47-year-old has had three surgical operations, with a fourth to come in a few weeks.
Chohan described her heartbreak as she was in a wheelchair when her daughter’s life-support machine was switched off.
“I didn’t get to give her the last hug that I so badly miss now. If I could, I would go back. Because of my own broken body and hers, I couldn’t lift her up in my arms to say goodbye. It’s never going to make sense. It is never going to be okay,” she said.
Her husband had stepped away to get a coffee at the moment of the accident, but saw the car ploughing into his wife and daughter.
“The ambulance came and then the air ambulance. I stood back knowing there was nothing I could do,” he said. “It was utter disbelief. The level of disbelief was enormous.”
Butt told the paper that in the days after he incident, he worried for his wife’s long-term well-being as a result of the trauma she had been through.
“We just sat in Nuria’s room and howled,” he was quoted as saying. “It was more than crying. I was even worried about Smera’s will to live lasting through the night, let alone the rest of our lives. It was very hard.”
The couple are now looking for answers into the alleged delay in the Metropolitan Police’s investigation.
An inquest into their daughter’s death has been opened and adjourned.
“We have started asking questions and there are still no answers,” Chohan said. “Make this case a priority.”
Butt added: ““We just want accountability. Our daughter had so much to offer this world. She has been denied that.”
Detective Chief Superintendent Clair Kelland, in charge of policing for southwest London, said: “Our thoughts remain with the families of Nuria and Selena, who we know are greatly loved and missed. This was a tragic incident and we understand the families want and need answers as to what happened. We are continuing to give them specialist support through our dedicated family liaison officers, who are providing updates on the investigation where they can.
“Specialist detectives are working tirelessly to establish the circumstances of that day. We recognise the time taken can cause further distress but it is only right and fair to all involved that we carry out a thorough and extensive investigation”.
