Police are hunting a hit-and-run driver who left a pregnant 17-year-old mother and her one-year-old baby for dead in a road.
Police have launched a fresh appeal for witnesses or any dashcam footage of the incident, which took place on Waterloo Road in Stoke-on-Trent on August 15 at 8.30pm, that could help them with their investigation.
After the incident, passers-by and residents rushed to help the unnamed young mother and her daughter, Leila, who were taken to hospital and have suffered ‘life changing injuries’.
Newly released pictures show the young baby with cuts on her face and head, while her mother suffered from suffered a fractured pelvis, broken ankle and face in the horror collision after ‘taking the brunt’ of the crash to protect her young child. The unborn baby was unhurt in the collision.
In a bid to find the driver, CCTV images have been released of a silver VW Jetta and black Audi A7 cars that may have been racing at the time, travelling from Broad Street, along Stafford Street traffic lights and onto Waterloo Road.
The VW Jetta, the car police believe struck the woman and her child, was found abandoned a mile away from the scene on Nevada Lane, while the Audi was found in Sneyd Hill Industrial Park.
A 17-year-old pregnant mother and her one-year-old daughter were critically injured after being involved in a hit-and-run accident in Stoke-on-Trent
Four men, aged between 26 and 33, were arrested in connection to the incident but have been released on bail. Police have also carried out a number of raids on several properties.
Detective Sergeant, Adrian Webb, of Staffordshire Police, said: ‘We are issuing a fresh appeal for witnesses to a serious hit-and-run collision in Cobridge where a pregnant 17-year-old girl and her one-year-old daughter suffered serious injuries.
‘The vehicles involved in the collision failed to stop and left the scene.
‘We suspect two vehicles were involved and are appealing for witnesses and CCTV such as dashcam or mobile phone footage.
CCTV images have been released of a silver VW Jetta and black Audi A7 cars that may have been racing at the time travelling from Broad Street
The VW Jetta, which police believe is the car which struck the woman, was found abandoned a mile away from the scene of the collision
‘It is believed that the suspect vehicles traveled from Broad Street in Hanley at 8.20pm through Stafford Street, up towards Cobridge traffic lights and onto Waterloo Road. The pedestrians were struck at approximately 8.30pm. It is suspected the vehicles involved are a silver VW Jetta and a Black Audi A7.
‘We have done a considerable amount of work to-date and have arrested four suspects, including another re-arrest today, seized two cars and conducted searches at several premises.’
Det Sgt Webb said: ‘I am appealing to witnesses who were in the area at the time. Do you have dash cam footage or did you see the vehicles or drivers?
‘I know that there were several witnesses at the scene so please make yourself known and help us make your community safer.
‘It is pure luck that we are not investigating a fatality and I want to ensure that we explore all evidential opportunities to bring those responsible to justice and prove who was driving the suspect vehicles at the time.’
Det Sgt Webb added: ‘The cars were found in two separate locations.
‘We are trying to establish who the driver was at that particular time but we do have our suspicions.
‘We have several lines of inquiry and establishing if the cars were racing at the time is one of those lines of inquiry.’
Police have recovered both vehicles suspected of being involved in the crash and have launched an appeal for anyone who has dashcam footage
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