Statement from Mark Jones, partner at Payne Hicks Beach and the solicitor representing the driver involved in the Wimbledon school car crash in July 2023.The driver of a car that crashed into a school killing two eight-year-old girls will face no criminal charges after it was found she had suffered an epileptic seizure behind the wheel.Nuria Sajjad and fellow eight-year-old pupil Selena Lau died after the crash at The Study Prep school in Wimbledon, south-west London, on July 6 last year.The driver of the car, Claire Freemantle, has expressed her “deepest sorrow” and said she had “no recollection of what took place” after losing consciousness because of an epileptic seizure at the wheel.
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00:00This is one of the most tragic cases I've ever dealt with. Our hearts go out to the
00:08families involved who suffered unutterable loss and dreadful injury. The Metropolitan
00:15Police and the DPP, after the most thorough investigation, have decided not to prosecute
00:20Claire. Although she was at the wheel when this shocking accident happened, she was in
00:26no sense in control of the vehicle. The incident was through absolutely no fault of her own.
00:33Tragically, Claire suffered a complete loss of consciousness moments before the incident.
00:39This has now been diagnosed as epilepsy, a condition which Claire was completely unaware
00:44of before the 6th of July 2023. She was unconscious when the car mounted the pavement and crashed
00:52into the school playground with such tragic consequences. Claire has no recollection of
00:58what took place. This condition had never previously manifested itself and Claire had
01:04always enjoyed good health. The medical examinations following the crash are authoritative, with
01:11different specialists unanimous in their diagnosis. The medical evidence is entirely consistent
01:17with eyewitness and video evidence of the crash itself. All the evidence showed that
01:24the vehicle never changed course or slowed down after it had veered off the road and
01:29mounted the pavement. A complete forensic post-crash examination of the vehicle showed
01:36that consistent pressure was applied to the accelerator from the moment the car left the
01:40junction with Camps View until it came to a rest. It also showed that the vehicle was
01:46in all ways roadworthy and safe. Again, we can only express our deepest and most heartfelt
01:54sympathy to all those who have suffered through this terrible tragedy. We'll be making no
01:59further comments. Thank you.