Penge crash: Witnesses praise 'heroes' who rushed to help children injured in horror smash which left woman and boy dead

Fiona Simpson1 September 2016
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Witnesses who rushed to help young children mowed down by a car which mounted the pavement following a police chase and left a woman and child dead have been hailed as “heroes”.

The car is said to have ploughed into a group of people, including at least four children, during the horror smash in Penge, south-east London, just after 2pm today.

A woman, believed to be in her 30s or 40s, and a boy, aged around 10, were killed in the carnage in Lennard Road.

They told how brave bystanders faced “horrific scenes” to help the injured.

Investigation: The smashed car in Penge
Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire

One witness, known only as Michael, described how a man rushed to lift up the car to free young children trapped underneath.

He said: “I came out of a meeting and saw police and ambulances rush past.

“There were four or five people lying on the pavement. It was horrific.

“A man went over and lifted a car off a little girl lying underneath.”

Others quickly joined the rescue effort with around 20 people reportedly working to free twin girls, aged around seven, from under the vehicle.

Police at the scene in Lennard Road
Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire

Venissa Vassel, who gave CPR to the dying woman, described the moment around 20 people "lifted up the car”.

The girls "crawled out", she said, but added that another girl, aged around 11, who was later taken away by ambulance, was screaming 'I can't feel my legs'.

She added that the accident "all happened too quick" and she "could not explain" what she saw.

Horrific scenes: At least 20 police cars hurtled to the scene
Sky News

Michael praised the actions of 18-year-old Ms Vassell who heard sirens from nearby Penge East station and rushed to help.

He said: “Another woman, who must have only been 17 or 18, was giving the woman who died CPR.

“They were heroic. People were standing around and crying. The whole community was shocked.”

Witnesses also praised the work of emergency services.

One told of the moment a paramedic “carried a young girl to an ambulance in his arms”.

London Ambulance Service treated three girls, believed to be seven-year-old twins and a girl aged around 11, for multiple injuries before taking them to hospital.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: "At approximately 2.05pm on August 31 a car was in collision with a number of members of the public in Lennard Road, SE20.

"The car was being pursued by police at the time of the collision."

The driver of the car has been arrested, he added.

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