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PA

Eight-year-old girl killed and 10 in hospital after car crashes into school building in London

A woman, aged in her 40s, has been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.

LAST UPDATE | 6 Jul 2023

AN EIGHT-YEAR-OLD girl has been killed and 10 people have been taken to hospital after a Land Rover crashed into a girls’ primary school building in Wimbledon in London.

Detective Chief Superintendent Clair Kelland fought back tears as she announced the age of the victim during a press conference outside the school today.

Chief Paramedic Dr John Martin from the London Ambulance Service said a total of 16 people were treated at The Study Preparatory School following the incident.

The Metropolitan Police said a woman in her 40s has been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and remains in police custody.

scenes-in-wimbledon-south-london-where-a-car-has-collided-with-a-primary-school-building-officers-firefighters-and-paramedics-including-londons-air-ambulance-responded-to-the-incident-at-around Alamy Alamy

Kelland’s voice broke as she told reporters at the scene: “Very sadly one of the children, an eight-year-old girl, died at the scene.

“Our thoughts are with her family at this incredibly difficult time.”

police-school Press Association Images Press Association Images

Martin also gave an update at the press conference, saying: “At 9.54 we received a 999 call to a collision on Camp Road in Wimbledon.

“We dispatched multiple resources including specialist critical care paramedics, London’s air ambulance and 15 ambulances.

“We declared a major incident. We treated 16 patients on scene. Sadly, as we’ve heard, one eight-year-old girl died.”

The force said the incident is not being treated as terror-related.

embedded272895959 From left, Metropolitan Police Detective Chief Superintendent Clair Kelland, Chief Paramedic Dr John Martin from the London Ambulance Service, Andrew Pennick, London Fire Brigade and school governor John Tucker, speak to the media (Yui Mok/PA)

The chairman of the board of governors, John Tucker, said the community is “profoundly affected” by the tragedy.

He declined to comment further as he stood beside the school’s headteacher Helen Lowe, who was holding hands with headteacher-elect Sharon Maher.

scenes-in-wimbledon-south-london-where-a-car-has-collided-with-a-primary-school-building-officers-firefighters-and-paramedics-including-londons-air-ambulance-responded-to-the-incident-at-around Alamy Alamy

Wimbledon MP Stephen Hammond, whose daughter previously attended the school, told the PA news agency that several of those hurt were “critically injured”.

He said: “There are a number of people who are critically injured, as I understand it, and given the scale of the response from emergency services… this is a very serious incident.”

Police extended a large cordon around the school and television pictures from overhead showed the car up against the wall of the building, while firefighters and paramedics stood near a gap in the fencing at the entrance to the site.

Officers moved dog walkers and passers-by away from the scene as an air ambulance remained on the edge of the Common while a number of ambulances parked nearby.

Wimbledon resident Julie Atwood, whose daughter used to attend the school, told PA: “Wimbledon is like a little village. For this to happen in Wimbledon is unheard of. It’s terrible.”

Tweets from Wimbledon and Putney Commons urged the public to stay away from the area.

The school, which costs £5,565 (€6,526) per term, is for girls aged four to 11 and sits on Wimbledon Common, just a mile away from the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club as it hosts the world-famous tennis tournament.

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    Mute Chris
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    Feb 27th 2020, 9:38 PM

    A useful way to spend my tax money for once. About time they sorted these poor people out.

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    Mute Angry_Man41
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    Feb 27th 2020, 10:20 PM

    The properties that have been repeatedly flooded since 1995 should be purchased at fair price by Co Co and people relocated . They can be added to Council Housing stock and used when not flooded , so it’s not a totally dead investment for the tax payer

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    Mute talksense
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    Feb 27th 2020, 10:35 PM

    @Angry_Man41: you know it takes months and 10’s of thousand’s to repair a house

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    Mute Niall Bourke
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    Feb 28th 2020, 7:54 AM

    @Angry_Man41: Used when not flooded? Put people up in a hotel while spending thousands on refurbishing a flooded house. Move them back in. Wait for another flood and repeat the whole process. Is that you Healy Rae?

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    Mute Teddy
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    Feb 27th 2020, 9:58 PM

    It’ll be pulled in a few weeks for covid-19 relief! Flood victims get your claims in quick!

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    Mute Patrick Trench
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    Feb 27th 2020, 10:37 PM

    Honestly clowns that are talking about dredging the Shannon, haven’t a clue what they are talking about. It is not possible to dredge by ship as there is no way to get one up past bridges and weirs. A digger is like a child at the beach digging a sandcastles moate. Move family to higher ground.

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    Mute Moorooka Mick
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    Feb 27th 2020, 11:32 PM

    There is obviously more water storage needed upstream with another Shannon Hydro electric scheme the most productive way to pay for the dams.

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    Mute Moorooka Mick
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    Feb 27th 2020, 11:30 PM

    Its a pleasant change to paying for water!

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    Mute John Mc Donagh
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    Feb 28th 2020, 11:47 AM

    It’s a much more logical idea to put a number of R,B 35′s on each side of the river next Summer when the water levels are normal and remove the obstructions, It will never cure all the flooding but it will greatly reduce it. It always appears to be easier to spend the money on engineering reports and planning procedures than on practical flood relief!

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    Mute james dimaggio
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    Feb 28th 2020, 10:21 AM

    I assumed that’s why people pay insurance premiums.

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    Mute MaryLou Silvester-Carr
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    Feb 28th 2020, 8:35 AM

    And how much will the Red Cross take from these emergency funds? After reading what they stole from the People of Haiti I would never support the Red Cross again!
    Yet another boo boo by the government!

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    Mute David Jones
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    Feb 28th 2020, 6:32 AM

    But in fairness the Irish Swimming team for Tokyo now have plenty of places to train so noice…

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