‘Crying baby in ambulance’ at scene of horror school crash that killed girl

A witness to the crash in Wimbledon that killed a young girl and hospitalised 10 others has described seeing a crying baby in an ambulance after the tragedy unfolded. Bystanders at the scene were said to have heard piercing screams as a Land Rover ploughed through a  playground where a group of children had been celebrating an end-of-term picnic at The Study Preparatory School on Thursday. Horrific aerial pictures showed food and tables strewn across the floor around the black and bronze 4×4, which reportedly trapped at least one child underneath it. The Times reported that witnesses had seen a baby crying in the back of an ambulance in the aftermath of the ‘tragic accident’. Police and emergency services attend the scene and declared it a ‘major incident’ While 16 people were treated at the scene, 10 were rushed to three local hospitals with several believed to be children. Their conditions remain unknown, with anguished parents keeping vigil at their bedsides overnight. Have you been affected by this story? If so email holly.evans@independent.co.uk Emergency services had received reports at 9.54am of a collision involving a vehicle and a school building, and dispatched a number of resources before declaring it a ‘major incident’. Despite efforts of the London Ambulance Service and the London Air Ambulance, an unidentified eight-year-old girl was pronounced dead at the scene. Police later confirmed that a woman in her 40s was stopped and arrested at the scene on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving. The incident is being treated as non-suspicious and terrorism was quickly ruled out, with the woman believed to have suffered a ‘medical incident’ behind the wheel. One witness told The Times : ‘The girls were screaming – it was harrowing. Everyone was rushing, saying a car had just driven into the grounds.’ Emotional parents gathered outside the cordon near the crash scene in Wimbledon Returning past the school 20 minutes later, he saw the scale of the emergency response. He added: ‘There was one little baby that was in the ambulance who was crying uncontrollably.’ Another witness told The Independent that he’d been in the golf club when they were informed that a major incident had occurred at the school, which is located on Camp Road. Minutes later, the club house became a temporary command area for emergency services, with teachers and pupils appearing ‘absolutely traumatised’. Distraught parents rushed to the school to collect their children, with a group of mothers holding hands and sharing hugs as one became tearful. During a press conference, the school’s headteacher Helen Lowe was pictured holding hands with head mistress-elect Sharon Maher, with both appearing heavily emotional. Metropolitan Police Detective Chief Superintendent Clair Kelland’s voice broke as she announced the death of a young girl Metropolitan Police Detective Chief Superintendent Clair Kelland’s voice broke as she confirmed that the young girl had died, adding: ‘Our thoughts are with her family at this incredibly difficult time.’ Flowers were later placed near the school by two New Malden residents, with Sophia Graham and Tayla Landsberg telling the Daily Mail: ‘When we found out one of the kids had died it was awful. When the police made their announcement it was so sad to see even them get emotional. It’s made a big impact on everyone.’ The Land Rover was removed from the collision site last night, as the investigation continues into the circumstances behind the crash. Speaking to reporters, Conservative MP Stephen Hammond, whose own daughter had attended the school, said: ‘It was very clear, very quickly, that it was a major incident and the local police declared it just that. ‘I think you will have seen from the sheer scale of the response from the paramedics, air ambulance, fire brigade and the police, what an important and serious incident this is. ‘And what a sad incident – it is tragically on the last day of term, for this young girl to have lost her life.’