Walsall Broadway crash: Flowers left at scene as police question driver
Flowers have been left at the scene of a crash where a 32-year-old woman died as locals highlighted concerns over the safety of the road.
The crash on Broadway in Walsall left one woman dead and two men in hospital on Sunday evening.
A 22-year-old male Audi driver was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and detectives are hoping dash-cam footage from drivers who were in the area at 7.20pm on Sunday can help their enquiries.
Residents who live near the crash site, next to the entrance of the University of Wolverhampton's Walsall campus, claim the road is a hot spot for car crashes.
Many metal railings nearby are bent or broken due to damage from previous crashes, with Sunday's collision happening around one mile away from where two teenage motorbike riders were killed in a crash in 2018.
Caroline Edge, aged 53, saw the aftermath of the crash while walking her dog.
She told the Express & Star: "It was a sickening sight. It was pretty obvious it was a fatal crash.
"But if you look at the Broadway there are broken fences and bent railings all over the place because so many cars seem to come off the road. People drive round here like maniacs."
Mohammed Sagir, 44, added: "It is like living by a racetrack here. I just don't know why people drive so fast. There are traffic lights everywhere but people still get up to some real speeds."
On Sunday evening the crash site next to Magdalene Road was one of devastation.
The red Vauxhall Corsa the woman had been driving ended up on its side, between a hedge and a tree, and firefighters had to fold back part of the roof before she could be freed and medics could attempt to save her
The yellow Audi S3 - which was carrying the suspect driver and two injured male passengers - was a mangled wreck, left roofless and crumpled in the road after firefighters cut their way in to get one of the casualties out on a stretcher.
Once the two injured men had been transferred to hospital, one of whom is thought to have been seriously hurt, collision investigators began reconstructing the crash scene behind a police cordon which remained in place for several hours.
However by Tuesday most of the debris had been cleared and only flowers, broken glass and mangled railings were left to show the horror of the collision.
West Midlands Police has urged anyone who saw the Audi involved in the crash on Broadway or nearby to come forward, with detectives particularly keen to hear from people with any video footage that shows the Audi before the crash.
A spokesman for the force said: ""We’ve arrested a man on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving following a crash last night in which a woman was killed. It happened in The Broadway, Walsall, at around 7.20pm when a yellow Audi S3 was in collision with a red Vauxhall Corsa.
"The Corsa driver, a 32-year-old woman, was critically injured and sadly pronounced dead at the scene. Her family have been notified and we have a specially trained family liaison officer supporting then at this tragic time."
The spokesman added: "We arrested the 22-year-old Audi driver at the scene and he remains in custody for questioning. He was not hurt. Two passengers in the Audi were taken to hospital for treatment but their injuries are not life threatening.
"Our collision reconstruction experts have examined the scene in The Broadway by the junction with Magdalene Road and enquiries are underway. We’re appealing for any witnesses or anyone who saw the yellow Audi S3 driving along The Broadway before the collision, or of it being driven nearby in the build-up.
"And if anyone has CCTV or dash-cam footage that shows the Audi before the collision then we really need them to get in touch. Please call us on 101 or message on Live Chat via our website and quote log 3242 from Nov 21."
