The eight-year-old girl who tragically lost her life when a 4x4 ploughed into a school prom party in Wimbledon has been captured on camera for the first time. Heartbroken family members characterised Selena Lau, a student at The Study Prep, as a "sassy" young woman who was "adored by everyone. After the £80,000 Land Rover crashed through the primary school's gates during a picnic at the end of term, one of eight-year-old Selena's classmates and a woman in her 40s are both battling for their lives in the hospital. The girls screamed "utterly horrified."
The "shining star" student, who was heartbreakingly photographed wearing the identical school uniform she would have been wearing at the time of the tragedy, received floral tributes at the scene on Friday. One of Selena's pals left her a message that said, "I will never forget you." A local 46-year-old lady was detained at the scene on suspicion of causing death by hazardous driving after her car slammed into an end-of-term picnic and sent students running. The Met reported that she had now been saved.
Selena Lau was 08 years old.
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Following the collision at Wimbledon Studies Preparatory School on Camp Road that injured 16 people, including a seven-month-old baby, families wailed and claimed that at least one child was trapped under the vehicle. Selena was referred to as a "star" in tributes left outside the school along with flowers. You will always be our shining star, one person said. We will miss you a great deal.
In a statement released on Friday night, Selena's grieving parents said: "Selena was a smart and sassy little girl adored and loved by all." At this sad time, the family requests that her privacy be respected. This afternoon, authorities provided a significant update, revealing that a second eight-year-old girl is hospitalised with a life-threatening condition.
In critical condition and still hospitalised is a woman in her 40s. Twelve patients in total, including a baby of seven months, were rushed to the hospital, and ten of their conditions have been determined to not be life-threatening. Instead of instructors or professionals, all injured adults were parents and other individuals who looked after the kids. According to local councillors, counselling will be provided to high school students and staff to help them deal with the awful events they observed. Before 10 a.m.
on Thursday, Year Three students, parents, and instructors had gathered for a picnic. There were rumours that an awards ceremony was taking place when the car pounced on the group. 'I heard an explosion, a scrape of metal, and then screaming that was really high pitched,' a witness told MailOnline today. It was awful. There was weeping and lamenting. I won't soon forget. Another witness told the Evening Standard: "I heard a bang, some metal scraping, and then some very high-pitched screaming."
It was awful. There was weeping and lamenting. I won't soon forget. The car's driver was interrogated for 24 hours and held overnight on Thursday. Initial reports suggested that he might have experienced a heart attack or seizure as a "medical incident" before the disaster. She was first rushed to the hospital, according to the police, who said on Friday that her condition was not considered to be life-threatening. She was given a release date for the end of July on bond pending additional investigation.
The commander of the South West London Police, Detective Chief Superintendent Clair Kelland, stated: "It is difficult to imagine the suffering and upheaval the families of those involved are experiencing. We will do everything we can to support them as our investigation continues." I am aware that this unfortunate tragedy is having an effect on a larger portion of the community, and we are working with our partners to put the right supports in place.
"Our officers, along with members of other emergency services, were met with a challenging and traumatic scene. This was the largest local police deployment in South West London since 2017."I want to thank you for making every effort to assist the injured. They would undoubtedly have been significantly impacted by this occurrence as well, and we will take care of their welfare.
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"I realise that many people will want to know how this happened, and a team of detectives is working to uncover the facts. I would ask that while these investigations are going on, the public refrain from making assumptions about what might have happened. 'Detectives from the Met's Major Collision probe Unit are leading the probe, and their inquiries are ongoing,' said an additional police statement made public on Friday. They are anticipated to stay put all day long.
"The investigation is still in its early stages, and investigators are pursuing all possible avenues of inquiry with an open mind. While this work is being done, we kindly ask that no speculating on the circumstances take place. Many of the injured children have broken bones, including shattered pelvises, and families have been conducting bedside vigils for them, according to the locals. According to reports, several are really sick.
Many parents went to the event; others hurried to the school from work or home to pick up their children who were upset by the disaster at school.On Friday afternoon, golfers from the Wimbledon Common Golf Club, which is directly across from the school, observed a moment of silence in front of the gates. The golf club's president, Peter Thompson, stated afterward: "We are close neighbours, and we have close ties to The Study."They made use of one of our offices while they were remodelling. The entire membership is in shock about him. "To lose someone so young is so tragic."
Numerous people visited the location on Friday, including a woman who had a blue sling around her arm. She left a message reading, "You will always be our shining star," and a loved one comforted her. We will miss you a great deal. Four girls were observed cuddling each other as other people abandoned their stuffed animals. I'm sorry, I wrote in another note addressed to "all staff," while another read: "I'm sorry you're having such bad luck." Good luck in paradise, my friend.Reporters were told by Faiza Samad, who declined to disclose her age, that having a school picnic at the end of the year is customary.
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Rania, her 12-year-old daughter, finished kindergarten last year. All the mothers were texting when it happened yesterday, according to Ms. Samad. My friend's kid was a second-year student.(From her, his daughter) was at the back of the structure. We were all texting each other in a frenzy. As Rania remarked, "I felt sad when I heard it because she was an eight-year-old girl and it was her last day." I know people who are acquainted with the parents of the injured, said a local woman, whose eight-year-old son attends another neighbouring school, adding, "I have been told that several injured children have broken bones." One of the kids reportedly has a shattered pelvis.
"What a terrible thing to happen," I thought. I don't understand why individuals in this area, where the roads are rather narrow, need to drive such large, powerful vehicles. She said, "Yesterday I saw the air ambulance and thought it was a helicopter carrying VIPs to the Wimbledon tennis championships," according to MailOnline. When I realised what it was, I was appalled.
The same age as the deceased girl—eight years old—is my son, who attends a different school. What those parents are going through is beyond my comprehension. I sincerely hope that everyone who was hurt gets better. Last night, the Metropolitan Police took the car away for testing on a flatbed truck. In order to understand how and why the two-ton black and gold 44 slammed through the school's wooden gate and into staff, students, and their moms and parents, officers are also speaking to witnesses and reviewing CCTV footage.
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It is not believed that the occurrence had any connection to terrorism. By Friday morning, the police barrier had been lifted, and flowers and other memorials had been left along the school's entrance. A mother who left a floral tribute at the scene claimed to have spoken to friends whose kids had suffered injuries.
She told MailOnline, "They are very sad but didn't really want to chat. I have no idea what they must be going through. I am aware that some have visited hospitals. It's just terrible. The mother and her eight-year-old son rode their bicycles to the scene of the Land Rover Defender's collision with the wooden fence. Along the sidewalk, more than a dozen bouquets had been purchased.
To the Studio and to the Parents, read the memorial that was left. I'm truly sorry for the family and school's awful loss. Always on our minds. Another said, "On this tragic day, our thoughts and prayers are with all of you." The incident had a profound impact on everyone participating in the competition, according to the president of the All England Club Tennis Club on Friday. In honour of everyone who took part in the tennis competition, Ian Hewitt positioned a wreath at the entrance to the school.
On behalf of everyone at the club and everyone connected in Wimbledon tennis, he added, "I wanted to convey sympathy. We offer our condolences to everyone impacted by this unfortunate catastrophe. Flowers were delivered with a letter that said, "On behalf of Wimbledon, we wish to convey our deepest condolences to everyone affected by the tragic events at Wimbledon Study Preparatory School."
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"During this difficult time, our thoughts are with all of you." Within seconds of the disaster, witnesses claimed they could hear young children as young as four "screaming in utter horror." As the £80,000 car slammed multiple individuals and reportedly trapped at least one youngster below, the neighbourhood heard screaming. Others noticed a baby wailing in the back of an ambulance that had become entangled in the commotion.
Ten people—including a number of children—were brought to the hospital for treatment, and the emergency services called the girls' school a significant event. Families kept a nightly vigil as they desperately awaited positive news on their injured loved ones, and distraught parents hurried to the school to hear the news and reunite with their kids. Witnesses saw children being removed from the £16,000 a year school, along with a hurt girl who appeared "absolutely shocked" and "unable to speak," according to their accounts.
Helen Lowe, the school's principal, and Sharon Maher, the principal-elect, were seen in photos holding hands. When they joined the emergency services at a press briefing hours after the tragedy, both appeared to be quite upset. A man who passed the school shortly after the tragedy described what he saw as "very shocking" to The Times. The 53-year-old described the scenario as "heartbreaking," with the girls wailing. A automobile had allegedly just driven onto the premises, everyone was hurrying. He noticed the size of the emergency reaction when he arrived home from school 20 minutes later. The small infant inside the ambulance was sobbing uncontrollably, he continued.
When the 'runaway' car abruptly drove off Camp Road and onto the grass, driving the family "off the road," witnesses told MailOnline that they were seated on the grass just before 10 a.m. One witness described the crash as sounding "like a bomb going off." Parents were alarmed, so they hurried to the school, where they saw a pair leading a woman's daughter to her car while she was dressed in a blue school uniform. Without her two shoes, the girl was being carried along the street by both of her parents.
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