Fatalities and Fear: Brummies speak out on Erdington’s road collision crisis

A recent series of road accidents in Erdington, two of which have resulted in fatalities, has left a community devastated.

Today, I will be speaking with local residents to understand whether they perceive this situation as a sequence of unfortunate events or an underlying issue with road safety in the area, but first here’s a look at what’s happened.

In the past week, the community of Erdington has been shaken by three significant accidents. On Saturday 27th May, a 13-year-old girl was critically injured after being struck by a black Volkswagen Golf on Holly Lane shortly before 5:30 pm. A 47-year-old individual has been arrested by West Midlands Police on suspicion of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

Tragically, on Monday, a four-year-old boy lost his life after being hit by a car on George Road. Despite the best efforts of paramedics, the boy could not be saved.

Further adding to the community’s grief, on Wednesday, a middle-aged cyclist was pronounced dead at the scene after being involved in a hit-and-run collision on Chester Road around 5:30 pm.

These incidents have raised concerns about whether these accidents are merely coincidental or indicative of an underlying issue with road safety in the area.

Ian says: “So following the recent crashes in Erdington, I don’t think people are very happy about it, because looking around, you know, people are trying to just go about their daily lives - do what they’re doing - but you can’t when there’s cars running around the street and it’s a bit dangerous. And you feel like every time you cross the road you’re kind of taking your life in your own hands.”

Shirley says: “​​Well, I can tell you I got run over in 2015, I had a very bad accident over by Maplin. And I was in hospital - I was out of work for some time. And since that accident I’ve never been the same. I’m quite nervous crossing roads.

“Erdington, to be honest, has got a lot of road traffic accidents because they speed a lot. And when I’m walking around, there’s a lot of people speeding and plus - I think because they’re on drugs, some of them, can’t say everyone but some. And they just don’t watch where they’re going half the time. So that would contribute to a load of accidents. People are not just watching their road safety when they’re driving.”

Ian adds: “I think it’s a lot of people just not paying attention. We saw it earlier on today, a gentleman is trying to cross the road on a crossing that’s marked, and a lady nearly went straight through him as if he wasn’t even there.

“And even to the point where he turned around and he was on crutches and even hit her car with a crutch. And she still didn’t really pay attention. So it’s like I think a lot of it is just people not thinking about what they’re doing.

“Maybe they’re looking at a phone or you know, they’ve got somewhere to be or whatever and they’re just not paying attention and therefore accidents happen. So that’s really what I think.”