Tributes paid to teenagers killed when car hit group of pedestrians

Teens had ‘hearts of gold’, say relatives as police continue hunt for killer

19-year-old Ben Corfield and Liberty Charris, 16, died by the side of a road in Oldbury (PA)

Police have named two teenagers who were killed when a car ploughed into a group of people standing at the side of a road.

Liberty Charris, 16, and 19-year-old Ben Corfield died at the scene of the collison in Oldbury, near Birmingham late on Sunday night.

Liberty’s family said she was a girl with a “heart of gold, bright blue eyes and beaming smile” whose “aim in life was to make everyone happy”.

Mr Corfield’s family said he was “the light of our lives” and “a larger than life character with a huge heart that was made of gold”.

The incident on the A457 also left a man and a woman in their twenties with life-threatening injuries.

A 54-year-old man was arrested on Monday on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving. He has been released on bail and police continue to investigate.

Police believe a blue Nissan Skyline hit a number of pedestrians who were gathered near to the junction with Crystal Drive at around 11.30pm.

Detective Sergeant Paul Hughes, from the West Midlands Police Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: “Whilst our hearts and thoughts are with the families of these young people, our focus remains on establishing the full circumstances of the incident.

“Our investigations will be extensive and thorough and we’d like to thank everyone who has spoken to us and passed on information already.

“But we know there were a lot of people gathered in the area at the time and we’d ask anyone else with dashcam footage or any other witnesses to contact us.”

The sergeant said family members of the teens were being supported by the police. He also asked that people do not speculate on social media about the circumstances of the collision or post footage, which can be distressing for the families.

Liberty’s relatives spoke of their heartbreak at losing “a beautiful baby girl and sister”.

They said: “So loved by her family and friends, they were all so proud of the gorgeous young lady you were becoming.

“With your heart of gold, bright blue eyes and beaming smile, your aim in life was to make everyone happy, with your funny accents and loud laugh.

“From the moment you were born we were all so in love with you, you loved life and had an amazing future ahead of you. Our hearts are shattered into pieces. Shine bright up there our beautiful girl.”

And Mr Corfield’s family said: ”What can we say other than Ben was the light of our lives. He was a larger than life character with a huge heart that was made of gold.

“Nothing will ever heal the massive hole in our lives – our hearts are broken forever.

”We waited so long for Ben to come along and complete our family, and we feel privileged to have had him as our son and brother for the last 19 years.

“Ben, we love you so very much, always and forever. Rest in eternal peace, our boy!”