A takeaway delivery driver who knocked down a five-year-old girl, killing her, carried on to drop off his delivery. An inquest heard that Istvan Zarka hit Minaal Salam with his vehicle when she stepped out into the road having left an after-school club.
Minaal was carried on the bonnet of the Volkswagen Touran he was driving for around 10ft before stopping. But the hearing on Tuesday was told that as Minaal's father, a neurosurgeon, held his daughter, Zarka refused his plea to call an ambulance, reports StokeonTrentLive.
Further, the inquest heard, Zarka then continued driving up the road to drop off the takeaway. He then returned to the scene of the collision, but gave no comment when interviewed by police officers.
The 63-year-old was arrested on suspicion of death by dangerous driving. However, it was found that he was only driving at around 24mph in the 30mph zone where the collision happened outside Newstead Primary Academy in Blurton, Stoke-on-Trent.
He was charged with leaving the scene of an accident and driving without business insurance, the inquest heard. The charge relating to him failing to stop at the scene was later dropped.
The collision was said by accident investigators to have been "unavoidable", and Minaal, of Edme Grove, in Barlaston, was pronounced dead at the scene. The hearing was told it was up to 40 minutes before an ambulance arrived.
Assistant coroner Emma Serrano, presiding over the inquest into Minaal's death, said it had been a "tragic accident". But, during the hearing, Minaal's mother Alia Anum Salam quizzed police over their investigation into the crash. PC Matthew Brailsford gave Mr Salam's account of the events of the collision, which happened at around 5.30pm on April 1 last year.
He said: "Abdus stood at the side of the road and looked both ways four or five times. Minaal took one step out in the road. A car came down the road. He only saw it coming when it was one foot away.
"Minaal fell forward onto the bonnet. It carried her for about 10 feet before it stopped. He put the car seat down. He held her in his arms.
"He said to the driver: 'You hit my daughter, can you please help me and call an ambulance?' The driver said 'No, go away' and drove off down the road. Abdus gave CPR and shouted for help. He said it was 20 minutes before anyone came and 20 minutes later before the ambulance came."
It is possible that a Mercedes may have impeded the view of both pedestrians and the driver, the hearing heard.
PC Brailsford added: "He saw Abdus standing holding a small child in his arms. A car had stopped in the middle of the road.
"There was an argument going on. Abdus opened the driver's door and the driver pulled it shut. Mr Jenkins saw the child lying on the pavement. Abdus shouted 'Somebody help me!'
"Abdus started CPR. He shouted 'You have killed her, you b*****d!' The driver said 'She stepped out.' He didn't speak good English. Mr Jenkins asked what had happened and he said 'She just stepped out'."
Mum Alia Anum Salam quizzed Staffordshire Police on whether Mr Zarka had been paying attention at the time of the collision.
Addressing PC Brailsford, Mrs Salam said: "I am sorry to say, but there are loopholes. You say you don't know, but I think you had the right to cross-question the witness or ask more questions like I have."
The Staffordshire Police investigation included reconstructions and checking for defects on the car.
Sergeant Ben Foster told the inquest: "At the point the pedestrian stepped off the kerbside the collision was unavoidable. It's my opinion that the driver had insufficient time to avoid the collision and was still in the reaction period."
A post-mortem examination found Minaal died as a result of a road traffic collision.
Area coroner Emma Serrano said: "She passed away as the result of an accident. A tragic accident, but nevertheless, it's an accident."
