Woman recalls full horror of A34 crash

Motorist Melanie Parker was giving evidence in the trial of Birmingham-based traffic officer Pc Vaughan Lowe at Warwick Crown Court.

Lowe, 43, of Stourbridge and based at the West Midlands Police traffic unit in Aston, denies causing the death of Chinese student Zhang Xuan Wei by careless driving.

The 24-year-old Birmingham City University student was hit by Lowe's unmarked police BMW at around 50mph as he was on a pedestrian crossing on the main A34 New Town Row in Birmingham.

Miss Parker said she was driving home in her Ford Ka on the outbound carriageway of New Town Row at around 7pm on April 4, 2012, doing 30mph in the middle lane, with a bus lane to her left.

She was looking ahead to see what colour the lights at the crossing were, so she could adjust her speed if necessary, explaining: "I regularly travel that way. I know there are two sets of traffic lights, and am aware they're likely to change."

Asked if she was aware of someone on the crossing, she said: "I was in lane two, and the road ahead of me at the time was clear and I was doing approximately 30.

"Unbeknown to me at the time, because I can't recall hearing a siren or seeing any blue lights, it was a police car.

"It was only when it was next to me that I recall the lights, which were blue and red, and hearing the siren.

"My initial thoughts were 'what the hell is this person doing?' before realising it was a police car."

She said that because she then realised it was a police car, she moved out slightly, and it went past her on the inside before pulling out into her lane and then into the outside lane.

"I remember looking ahead now, expecting the lights to change. As I was looking up my first memory was thinking 'Oh my God, is that a big bird?'

"Realising then that it was not a bird, it was a person rotating above the traffic."

Asked if she had seen anyone at the crossing, Miss Parker replied: "No, in my view I was too far away."

The jury has heard that Wei and a friend had been heading to the Newtown shopping centre to get a takeaway, and had crossed the inbound carriageway of the A34 to the central area.

Prosecutor Graham Reeds QC said Wei had just walked or jogged straight onto the crossing when the light began to change from the green man to flashing green.

Meanwhile Lowe, a trained police traffic officer, and a colleague were responding to a call that a vehicle which had failed to stop for other officers had been sighted again. The trial continues.