How community is still reeling one year on from Darnall crash that claimed four lives

While it has been said that time heals, this certainly isn’t the case for those living in Darnall, who are still reeling from the horrific incident.

Father-of-three Adnan Ashraf, aged 35, and his youngest son Usman Adnan were both killed along with Vlasta Dunova, 41, and her husband Miroslav Duna, 50, when the people carrier they were travelling in was hit by a stolen car during a police pursuit.

The five-minute chase over nearly six miles was halted when the VW Golf smashed into Mr Adnan’s VW Touran at 79mph as it turned right on to Bannham Road at 8.50pm on a Friday.

The impact of the crash, on November 9, 2018, instantly killed the four who died and seriously injured three others, including Mr Adnan’s wife, Erica Kroscenova.

And the floral tributes including teddy bears left near the scene of the crash constantly serve as a grim reminder, as the memorials are still intact and neatly tied to the bollards even after a year.

For social worker Saba Alias, the heartbreaking incident feels like a fresh trauma as she vividly remembers the chaotic atmosphere on that fateful night.

“I was on my way home from work when I saw a lot of medics, ambulances, the fire rescue crew and a lot of people at the scene and I saw more than what I expected to see.

“It was really upsetting when I heard the little boy had died. And all I kept thinking was, it could have been my husband, it could have been my boy, and it could’ve been anybody.

“Even now, when you go past the scene, it kind of reminds you over and over again,” she said.

The mother-of-two said that since the tragedy she constantly checks on her husband and her two young children to make sure they get home safely.

“We have come out of that junction many times and it is a really busy junction. Whenever I finish working, I would remind my husband to drive home carefully,” she said.

Ms Saba said although a year has gone by, the family is still struggling.

“I was on Facebook the other day and I saw the (Mr Adnan’s) wife post a picture of her husband and her son sleeping together.

“I spoke to her and asked how she was feeling. When I told her that my boy was the same age as her son who was killed in the crash, she burst into tears.

“It’s heartbreaking to know what she is still going through. She is a strong lady.”

Another resident, Mukhtar Tufail, who lives a few metres away from the scene and had his car wrecked during the collision, said the whole community is still in anguish.

“Even now, people would stop and look at the floral tributes and I notice that they are getting more sensitive about people driving fast in the area.

“There’s definitely an element of fear in the community and the incident has caused a massive impact on all of us and it will stay with us for a long time, especially with the death of a child,” he said.

He said his wife is still recovering from witnessing the devastation.

“She saw an off-duty Pakistani midwife helping at the scene. She is still traumatised,” he said.

And both Mr Mukhtar and Ms Saba believe that the floral tributes have played a significant role in bringing the community together in remembering the victims and they should remain in place for as long as possible.

Ms Saba said the flowers should not be removed as they serve a memory for Adnan’s wife and her family as both her husband and child were buried in their home country in Pakistan.

“Bear in mind that her husband and son were both buried in Pakistan and it would take eight to nine hours for the family to visit the graves.

“It’s very hard for someone to travel that far and she had made that decision after discussing with Adnan’s family.

“Because they’re not buried here, she could only go to the place where it happened. Since she can’t go to the graveyard, where else could she go?”

Mr Mukhtar said despite the sad story surrounding the crash, a positive thing has come out from the tragedy.

“I see English people, African people, Slovakian people, Romanian people stop and look at the tributes even now.

“They would even put a teddy bear and some would change the flowers. Even the candles are lit on special occasions,” he said.

Pakistani Muslim Centre chairman Muhammad Ali said the incident should serve as a reminder to those who intend to speed in the area.

“Adnan was a breadwinner in the family. And I was told that the family of Vlasta Dunova and her husband Miroslav Duna have moved away since the incident,” he said.

But he believed that, to help with the grieving process, the floral tributes should now be cleared so the community could move forward.

“Accidents happen all the time. We have had accidents before on Darnall Road and recently on Staniforth Road.

“There is another way to remember the victims. I think the reality is, you got to live is with the people who are living but remember those who have gone,” he said.

He said the floral tributes could be a distraction to drivers.

“What would be dangerous is when somebody new in the area, driving down and see the flowers and get distracted and this could take somebody else’s life because your concentration is not on the road.

“The scars will never go away but it happens, and that’s what life is about,” he said.

Following the incident, the driver, 19-year-old Elliott Bower, was sentenced to 11-and-a-half years in a young offenders’ institution after admitting four counts of causing death by dangerous driving and three counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

His brother Declan Bower, 23, and Mason Cartledge, 18, both admitted aggravated vehicle taking in which death was caused and were sentenced to seven years and 10 months.