Parents of girl killed in school car crash vow to keep fighting for answers
The Metropolitan Police is reopening the investigation into the deaths of Nuria Sajjad and Selena Lau, both eight, in July 2023.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The parents of one of the eight-year-old girls killed in a car crash at a school last summer have vowed to keep fighting for answers, saying: “We’ve got to stand at her resting spot and tell her that mama and baba tried.”
The comments come as the Metropolitan Police announced it is reopening the investigation, following an internal review, into the deaths of Nuria Sajjad and Selena Lau in a crash at the Study Prep school in Wimbledon, south-west London, on July 6 2023.
The girls’ families had said they remain “unconvinced” the investigation into their deaths was conducted thoroughly after it was announced in June that the driver of the 4×4 had suffered an epileptic seizure behind the wheel and would not face criminal charges.
Both sets of parents have welcomed Thursday’s announcement from the police, describing the months since their daughters’ deaths as “hell” and a “nightmare”.
Smera Chohan, Nuria’s mother, insisted she and her husband “will not rest” until they have the answers they are looking for.
She told LBC: “One thing that we are very clear on is we will not rest, we will not go away, until we have answers because we’ve got to stand at her resting spot and tell her that mama and baba tried, and mama and baba are fighting because she didn’t deserve this.”
The parents try to visit Nuria every day, with her father Saj Butt saying: “When you stand there at your daughter’s grave and you’re unable to account for why you’re there, it’s very, very difficult.”
Ms Chohan said they were “always told” the Met was working “tirelessly”.
She told LBC: “What we deserve is the respect of clarity, respect of a thorough investigation, and respect of answers.
I'm just a parent, a man whose daughter's not here, and I miss her every moment
“If you have worked tirelessly, we shouldn’t be here and our grief is doubled, quadrupled, because we are still in a waiting room.”
She said they are “living in a nightmare”.
Asked if they support reforms to checks on drivers, Mr Butt said that is not their concern at this point.
“If I can be honest, and if you don’t mind, I don’t know,” he told the broadcaster.
“I’m just a parent, a man whose daughter’s not here, and I miss her every moment.
“I don’t know what the right answer is, I don’t know what the right legal protocol is, I don’t know what lessons learned need to be implemented, I just want to know what happened.”
Jessie Deng, Selena’s mother, told the BBC: “I really welcome that the investigation opened and it has been kind of like living in hell for the last 15 months.”
Growing emotional, she said she misses her daughter every day, adding: “Because we sent her to school, but she never come back.
“It’s just like the day that turned our world upside down.”
Franky Lau, Selena’s father, told the broadcaster: “We think it’s the right thing for them (the police) to do.
“I think all we wanted was a thorough, open, transparent investigation and we were not convinced that the initial investigation was that, and the police themselves seems to have admitted that that is also not the case.”
In June, the driver, Claire Freemantle, expressed her “deepest sorrow” in a statement to the PA news agency and said she had “no recollection of what took place” after losing consciousness.
The Met said on Thursday it is aware it remains a difficult time for the families, adding: “We believe this further investigative work will address all questions raised by the families affected.”
The school had been celebrating the last day of the summer term when the tragedy unfolded.
Several other people were injured when the 4×4 crashed through a fence and hit a building.