A doctor accused of killing his nine-year-old daughter in a car crash as he rushed to take her to her private maths tutor broke down in a courtroom and sobbed ‘why did this happen?’ as CCTV of the tragedy was played to the jury today.
Chizoro Edohasim, 47, was watching footage of his Toyota Auris speeding at up to 67mph in the moments before the impact when he suddenly burst into tears and held out his hands as if in prayer.
As jurors looked on he started to shout: ‘Why did this happen to me and my family? My family, my daughter, where are you?’
Chizoro Edohasim (left), 47, was rushing quickly to get little Olivia (right) and her 11-year old sister Eva to a private tutor
Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court heard Dr Chizoro Edohasim recklessly overtook cars before hitting a wall.
His nine-year-old daughter Olivia, who was sitting in the back seat with her seatbelt on, suffered fatal back injuries in the 59mph impact which was described by one witness as ‘like a bomb going off’.
Her sister Eva, 11, who also had her seatbelt on, underwent emergency surgery for serious stomach injuries at hospital.
The court heard Edohasim, from Altrincham, Greater Manchester, had been driving ‘like a lunatic’ to get daughters Olivia and Eva to their private tutor.
The girls had repeatedly been late for their maths lesson and their father had been warned about it – yet he failed to improve on his timekeeping, it was said.
At 10.50am on May 7 last year Edohasim was seen ‘zig-zagging’ in between traffic and overtaking two cars on the wrong side of the road, causing an oncoming car to take evasive action.
Tragedy stuck moments later when his Toyota accelerated through a red traffic light and ploughed into a wall outside a block of flats without the brakes being applied, the court heard.
The 47-year-old, from Altrincham, denies causing death and causing serious injury by dangerous driving
Edohasim was himself injured in the collision.
When quizzed by police in hospital he claimed the brakes failed in the two-year-old family car despite officers saying there were no mechanical faults.
He told officers: ‘I was saving lives as a doctor and trying hard to be a good citizen and give my children a good childhood. This is how the devil got me back.
‘I was driving my daughters to their maths lesson. They love it. I always take them. I use this road everyday. I was going down the road and wanted to break because there were traffic lights. I tried putting my brake down and it didn’t work. It only sped up.
‘I thought “oh god what’s happening”. We came into contact with the wall. I have never had police knocking on my door. I have always led a good life.’
Edohasim, from Altrincham was himself injured in the collision. He denies causing death by dangerous driving and causing serious injury by dangerous driving
In a subsequent police interview after he left hospital he said: ‘My eldest was in the front and Olivia was behind me where there is a booster seat. The roads were fine.
‘I reached 20/30 mph and then I couldn’t put my brake down. It was really difficult. I’ve have automatic car all my life. I’ve been driving for two years and never had this issue.
‘My brakes were fine in the morning but my car was making a weird noise. My daughters were yelling and I was in psychological shock. The brakes weren’t working at all and I thought this was it. My car just sped up and kept getting faster.
‘I came up to a jeep on my way to the junction. He flashed at me. I don’t think he knew what I was doing. The car jolted and went really fast. At that point I didn’t have a clue. I’d never had trouble before with the car…it was working fine in the morning. I felt like I lost control of the brake and I felt like we drove through water logged ground.’
CCTV of the collision was shown to the court and showed how the brake lights never lit up as the Toyota sped through the junction.
Tests showed the car was travelling at 48mph six seconds from the impact, yet accelerated to up to 67mph just one second from when the vehicle crashed into the wall.
It only lost speed when it hit a kerb before the wall, causing one of the wheels to spin freely.
Edohasim, denies causing death by dangerous driving and causing serious injury by dangerous driving.
The hearing continues.
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