Footage of fatal bridge crash released as warning to speeding drivers

Police have released footage of the moment a hit-and-run driver lost control of a car on a humpback bridge, causing a fatal crash.

Traffic officers at West Midlands Police said they hoped the video of the Ford Focus driven by Raihan Ahmed, showing all four wheels leaving the ground, would make other drivers think twice about speeding.

Unqualified driver Ahmed, 20, of Langdale Road, Great Barr, Birmingham, was jailed for three years and eight months earlier this week at the city’s Crown Court.

Ahmed, who admitted causing the death of Ghulam Nabi by dangerous driving, was also banned from driving for four years and 10 months.

Mr Nabi, 61, a bus driver, was walking to work when he was knocked down while on the pavement in Great Barr Street, Digbeth, on August 29.

Investigators believe Ahmed was speeding at about 53mph in the 20mph zone before the car left the road.

The Ford was later abandoned in Adderley Street and Ahmed was arrested after a media appeal.

Temporary Detective Inspector Paul Hughes, of West Midlands Police’s serious collision investigation unit, said: “Mr Nabi was a totally innocent party in this matter and as a pedestrian he should have been afforded safety on the pavement.

“It is always a difficult decision to release footage from such tragic cases, however this is some of the worst driving I have seen in a long time.

“Ahmed was driving at such a speed on a public road and in a specifically restricted speed limit, that the loss of control on the bridge resulted in all four wheels leaving the road surface.

“By releasing this footage with the support of Mr Nabi’s family, I hope that it will make people think again about their driving and the responsibility they carry when driving a motor vehicle.

“A split-second decision can mean the difference between life or death.”