Child hit by truck in a collision on a busy Bell Green road

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Witnesses described the horrific moment the accident took place



A child has been hit by a truck in a collision on a busy road in Coventry this afternoon.

The serious collision happened in Henley Road, Bell Green , at around 4.20pm.

Emergency services have been unable to confirm reports of casualties, but eyewitnesses say the truck driver was taken to hospital to be treated for shock .

West Midlands Police received reports “of a road traffic collision between a truck and child”.

An 80-metre stretch of road between Aldi and the junction on Old Church Road will remain closed overnight as forensic investigations take place.

Eyewitnesses at the scene described the horrific moment the accident took place.

One man told the Telegraph how he heard “screaming and shrieking”.

He added that a woman was on the pavement “just hysterical”.

He believed that the woman’s daughter had been hit by the truck.

West Midlands Ambulance Service sent three ambulances, a paramedic support officer and air ambulance crews in a car to the scene.

A spokesman for the service said: “The original call was to a child in collision with a truck.”

Local people at the scene told the Telegraph that more needed to be done to stop accidents on that junction .

One woman said that it was “about time something was done to make the junction safer”.

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Schoolgirl killed in skip lorry horror named locally



The little girl killed in yesterday’s skip lorry horror in Coventry has been named locally as seven-year-old Sophia Clarke.

The primary school pupil is understood to have lived with her mum, Yvonne, just yards from where she was struck by the wagon in Henley Road, Bell Green, on Tuesday afternoon.

Eyewitnesses have spoken of seeing the aftermath of the tragedy which happened just after 4pm near to the junction with Old Church Road.

One resident told the Telegraph: “I came out to see what was happening and was told it was a little girl.

“It didn’t look good.

“Firefighters then came and used a canvas to cover the person up and then they used netting from the skip lorry which was put over the vehicle.

“The private ambulance then came and was here for about half an hour.”

Another said how he heard “screaming and shrieking” and saw a woman was on the pavement who was “just hysterical”.

A large number of flowers and tributes have been laid at the scene this morning, including one which reads: “Goodbyes are not forever. Goodbyes are not the end. It simply means goodbye until we meet again.

“Rest in paradise Sophia.”

A passer-by at the scene this morning, who didn’t wish to be named, said: “I heard about it last night and was praying they would be okay.

“But to hear the girl has died - that’s so sad. The family must be heartbroken.”

Police are appealing for witnesses or anyone with information to get in touch and have placed a serious collision sign at the scene urging people to come forward.

Sgt Alan Wood, from the Regional Collision Investigation Unit, said: “The investigation is in its early stages and inquiries are continuing.

“I would appeal to anyone who witnessed what happened or has any information that could help with the investigation to contact us.

“In particular, I would appeal to any drivers or passengers who were in the traffic near to the collision to come forward. This includes a small turquoise car and a black taxi cab.”

Anyone with information can call the collision investigation unit on 101 or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

[rebbonk]

Tragic.

[Melisandre]

Flowers and balloons for that little girl even more than put there to when I passed the other day.

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How Coventry said goodbye to a smiling schoolgirl



These emotional images show how hundreds of mourners gathered to say farewell to smiling schoolgirl Sophia McDonald.

Many of them wore pink in honour of the seven-year-old who was tragically killed by a skip lorry just yards from her Bell Green home in October.

Coventry Cathedral heard how the St Laurence’s Primary School pupil loved the colour pink, Take That and Peppa Pig and also “loved her family so very much”.

Sophia’s heartbroken mum Yvonne Clarke, wearing a pink T-shirt emblazoned with the words ‘Mummy’s little angel’, thanked the people of Coventry for their support.

Her moving eulogy was greeted by a round of applause as she said: “Sophia, your smile put a smile on everyone’s face since the day you were born.

“I love and miss you lots, Sophia.”

The cobbled streets surrounding the cathedral fell silent as Sophia’s coffin arrived in a horse-drawn hearse topped with a floral wreath spelling out the word ‘sister’.



It was borne into the cathedral by family members Leon Tyrrell, Royston Brown, Rachel Cunningham and Thomas Cunningham, as the Take That song Rule the World was played.

Rev Kathryn Fleming, who led the service, told how “funerals and children really don’t belong together” but the cathedral was “big enough” to hold everyone’s feelings.

She said: “So – what do you say to a cathedral full of people gathered to say goodbye to a little girl who loved her family so very much, and loved the colour pink, Take That and Peppa Pig too?

“A little girl who was never happier than when having a really girly time being pampered at the hairdresser but who was brave on the most scary rides at Drayton Manor; who made friends at school so easily, both in her old school and more recently at St Laurence’s ; whose smile lit up the room wherever she went?

“What do you say, when she has left us all too soon?”

Mourners took a moment to reflect on losing Sophia, so young as The Cuppycake Song was played.

Rev Fleming added: “Sophia has gone straight from the loving arms of her family here to the loving arms of the God who made her and loves her.”

The funeral was followed by a private ceremony at Canley Crematorium.

Last week, the Telegraph reported that Sophia’s mum Yvonne was “not angry with the driver” of the truck which killed her.

A statement from the family made through the cathedral last week said: “Sophia’s family is overwhelmed and deeply grateful to the people of Coventry and particularly the Bell Green community for their wonderful support.

“They are so thankful to the emergency services (for whom special seats were reserved in the cathedral) for their care and courage, and send special thanks to the gentleman who sat with Sophia.”

Almost £8,000 was raised to help the family with the cost of Sophia’s funeral as the community rallied round after the tragedy.

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Sophia McDonald death: Coventry crash was accident



The death old of a seven-year-old girl hit by a skip lorry in Coventry was an accident, an inquest found.

Sophia McDonald was crossing Henley Road, in Bell Green, in October when she was hit by the slow-moving vehicle.

The hearing at Coventry Magistrates' Court found Sophia, from Bell Green, died from a head injury.

Coroner Sean McGovern concluded "Sophia died as a result of a road traffic collision" and "no medical attention" could have changed the outcome.

The inquest heard Sophia was holding her mother's hand as they crossed the road in front of a queue of traffic.

Mr McGovern said it was "unlikely" the lorry driver, Steven Young, would have seen the little girl.

He said Sophia had been hit by one of the front wheels of the lorry as it pulled away.

Mr Young told the inquest he had only diverted along Henley Road because the M6 was closed.

He said he had felt a "slight impact".

"The next thing I knew, there was a lady screaming, 'You've killed my baby'," he told the court.

When he got out of the vehicle, he said it looked as if "a mannequin" was between the lorry's wheels.

Mother Yvonne Clarke said one second Sophia had been holding her hand "and then she wasn't".

She added she held nobody responsible for Sophia's death "other than myself".

She also called for improvements to be made to the road to make it easier for people to cross.

West Midlands Police said the case did not pass the threshold for a criminal investigation.