Baby boy killed when car crashed and flipped onto roof on ‘rat run’ road as driver arrested
A BABY boy was killed when the car he was in crashed and flipped onto its roof.
One horrified resident rushed out her home and desperately tried to resuscitate the six-month-old by the roadside, but he died in hospital.
It is thought the car smashed into another parked car, then spun round and flipped over on Wednesday in Clacton, Essex.
And distressed residents called the road a "rat run" and said it was known locally as an accident blind spot.
A neighbour told The Sun: “It was a terrible accident and my heart goes out to the family of that poor little baby.
“It looked like it was just the mother and her baby in the car with a friend. It was very distressing for everyone involved.”
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The parked car is believed to have been empty at the time of the collision.
Local residents confirmed it had been parked earlier by a woman who was visiting her elderly mother nearby.
She was said to have been walking her mother’s dog when her car was hit.
A woman passenger also sustained minor injuries. Another woman, unrelated to the baby, has been arrested on suspicion of several driving offences
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They include causing death by dangerous driving as well as drink or drug driving. She has been released on bail until next month.
Police are appealing for witnesses.
Retired lorry driver Edward Barber, 70, who lives in the road, said: “It is awful to hear that a little baby lost his life.
“There are a lot of accidents in this road because people use it as a short cut to the seafront and Jaywick. Loads of people come down here.
“There have been accidents where cars have left the road and smashed into parked cars and garden walls.
“There have been campaigns to put in speed bumps to try and slow down drivers, but nothing has been done.”
Edward’s wife Mary, 65, added: “There was one lady who lived here who had a brand new car smashed outside her house when someone ran into it.
“The same thing happened to another car she owned earlier. I think they moved out because of the accidents.”
Kevin Harris, 61, said: “People call this road a rat run because everyone comes down here.
“I heard the car go past and then I heard a bang. It didn’t sound like it was going that fast. A lot of people stopped and I saw a lady doing PCR. I didn’t realise at the time that a baby was involved.
Mr Harris’ partner Debra Stevens, 61, said: “An air ambulance came, but I don’t know whether it was used to take the baby to hospital.
“The emergency services were here until around 1.30am in the morning. You can only imagine what the family is going through.”
News of the little one's death comes amid a series of tragic crashes around the country.
Two people, a man and a woman, were killed in a collision in Battersea, London in the early hours of this morning.
They were fatally injured when a Mini Cooper flipped onto its roof.
A 22-year-old woman was later arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.
A three-year-old boy has died after he was hit by a tractor near Bury in Greater Manchester.
His family flagged down a passing ambulance, but he died before reaching the hospital.
Police are investigating.
And murder cops are hunting a killer driver after a dad was mown down in a hit-and-run in Coventry, West Mids.
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"True geezer" Andrew Flamson, 30, suffered fatal head injuries in an incident on Tuesday.
Police say two groups of people had been involved in a street row in the area at around 11pm - with the fight appearing to be a "catalyst".