Boy, 11, injured in Coventry hit-and-run

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An 11-year-old boy has been injured in a hit-and-run collision in Coventry.

It happened at about 19:00 BST on Monday night on Cheveral Avenue, in the Radford area of the city.

He was taken to hospital with head and face injuries but has now been discharged, West Midlands Police said.

Officers are looking at CCTV images and appealing for witnesses in an attempt to find the car, which was last seen driving towards Coventry city centre.

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Hit and run in Radford: Boy 'lucky to be alive'



A young boy “could have been killed” in a hit and run close to a bus stop in Radford.

Neighbours living in Cheveral Avenue said the 11-year-old was lucky to be alive after he was flung in the air during the crash in Coventry at 7.10pm last night.

Despite being wedged under a car after the collision the youngster escaped with just a cut head, bruises and grazes.

Now police are working to track down the driver of the car and are appealing for anyone with information to get in touch.

One woman living in Cheveral Avenue said: “They had to lift the car he was wedged under off him - I can’t believe he wasn’t more badly hurt.

“It looked serious, people were rushing out of their homes to help when they realised what had happened.

“A friend of mine was driving behind the person who hit the boy before the collision.

“He said the driver must have been going between 60-70mph before the crash.

“Obviously the driver has realised what’s happened and thought he was in serious trouble.”

After the collision, which took place close to the bus stop near the junction with Villa Road, neighbours put blankets over the boy and tried to comfort him before paramedics arrived.

Amid concerns he was seriously hurt he was taken to University Hospital, Walsgrave.

Cheveral Avenue was shut for two hours while police investigated the crash.

Officers conducted door to door inquiries following the crash and checked CCTV footage from the nearby shops.

Peter Bielakovski, who lives close to the scene of the collision, said Cheveral Avenue was plagued with speeding drivers.

“The average speed down this road is 60mph,” he said. “People come flying down here.

“We have campaigned for speed bumps to slow people down but we’ve been told this is a main emergency route.

“Every two months without fail we have a crash. We have two schools nearby and children regularly use the road.”

Anyone who witnessed the collision has information about it should call Coventry Police on 101.

Alternatively if you don’t want to speak directly to police call the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

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Hunt for silver car in Radford hit and run probe

Police are searching for a silver car as they continue to hunt for a hit and run driver who could have killed a young boy.

Officers believe the vehicle would have been seriously damaged in the collision with 11-year-old Brandon Hambridge in Cheveral Avenue, Radford, last week.

So far the driver hasn’t been tracked down but police are continuing to do all they can to bring him to justice.

Miraculously Brandon wasn’t seriously injured in the horror crash despite bystanders suggesting the car that hit him was travelling at between 60-70mph.

A spokesman for Coventry Police urged the public, and specifically people working in garages, to keep an eye out for the vehicle.

Brandon suffered a fractured pelvis and a damaged spleen in the horrific collision.

His mum Gemma said he has since been released from hospital and was getting better.

“He’s starting to get back to his old self,” she said.

“He’s getting back on form but he loves wrestling and football and he won’t be able to do that for some time.”

The appeal comes as residents in the area call on the council to improve safety on Cheveral Avenue.

Malcolm Clayton said a 168 signature petition was raised after residents became concerned with speeding on the road last year.

He believes up to a third of people who use the road drive faster than the speed limit.

Some improvements to the road have since been promised, including work close to where the hit and run crash happened a few days ago.

Malcolm “We raised a petition to the council because it was decided to remove the white lines from the middle of the road.

“I think the phrase the authority used at the time was that it was generally now known the removing the white lines leads to drivers being more cautious and travelling at a lower speed.

“When the highways director and Coun Mal Mutton, who supported the petition, came to look at the road there was a near miss between a bus and a taxi.”

Anyone with information about the collision should call Coventry Police on 101.