Sheffield crash family said police should have '˜laid off' chase on dangerous road after fatal crash

A heartbroken Sheffield family have hit out at police for continuing to chase a car in wet conditions after it caused a fatal crash.Â
The crash scene at Bannham Road, Sheffield.The crash scene at Bannham Road, Sheffield.
The crash scene at Bannham Road, Sheffield.

Adnan Ashraf Jarral and his son had returned from London with another family - friends of his wife - when his VW people carrier was hit by a VW Golf which had been involved in a police pursuit in the Darnall area of the city.

Mr Jarral, one-year-old Usman Adnan Jarral both died in the crash on Friday evening as well as husband and wife Miroslav Duna, 50, and Vlasta Dunova, 41,

The crash scene at Bannham Road, Sheffield.The crash scene at Bannham Road, Sheffield.
The crash scene at Bannham Road, Sheffield.
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Shafqat Mirza, Adnan's uncle, was told by police the Golf had been on the wrong side of the road, overtaking a bus at the time, as the driver tried to evade the police.

He said Mr Jarral had tried to turn into a side road to avoid the collision, but could not avoid the other car.

Mr Mirza said: "It is very difficult to find the words, although we have millions of words in our hearts.

"To lose such a young person who was very loving, very caring, very family orientated, very community orientated, it's absolutely devastating for all of us."

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He added: "Around that spot there's been loads of accident in recent days. There are car chases. People are speeding up and down.

"If they could just put themselves in our shoes and see what kind of devastation it causes then they might learn a lesson. They might think twice about doing things."

But Mr Mirza said it was a "very difficult situation" and his family "understand the police point of view as well".

Asked about the role of the police, Mr Mirza said: "Lots of people have come up to us and they have said things, that it was a residential area and it may be that police ought to have laid off and let it go and found some other ways and means of chasing the car, knowing that it was a wet and dangerous road.

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"Maybe if police had handled things differently then the accident wouldn't have happened.

"But I can also see a different side of the coin."

Mr Mirza said that if he had been affected by crime and the perpetrators fled from officers, who had a chance to catch them, "What would my reaction be?"

"Should I say that because they're in a residential area they should back off and let them go, or should I say 'no, catch them', because they've got the chance to catch them?"

He said: "It's a very difficult situation. We understand the police point of view as well.

"So I'm not wholly blaming the police but, yes, if there are ways and means of doing the chase in a different way then yes definitely the police ought to take that into consideration."