The family of a mother who was killed in a ‘hit-and-run’ while she went to collect her daughter from school have paid tribute to the ‘kind loving soul’ who was ‘devoted to her children’.
The 39-year-old woman, who police have identified as Iram Shehzadi, was hit by a grey Citroen C1 at a junction in Bradford, West Yorkshire, at around 3pm on Monday before the driver fled the scene.
The mother-of-five was sadly pronounced dead at the scene.
Police later confirmed a 41-year-old man had arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving in connection with the crash.
The 39-year-old woman, named locally as Iram Shehzadi, was hit by a grey Citroen C1 at a junction in Bradford, West Yorkshire, at around 3pm on Monday
Today family and friends paid tribute to the ‘devoted’ mother who ‘had a lot of respect from the area’.
Next door neighbour Rukhsana Kausar, 41, said: ‘She lived with her husband and five children and was devoted to her children.
‘Iram had gone to pick up her young daughter, like she does every day at that time, and this terrible thing has happened.’
Mrs Shehzadi’s nephew, Haris, said: ‘It has hit the family, especially her children, really hard.
‘She was a very good lady who always kept herself to herself. She has helped everybody out. She had a lot of respect from the area.
‘I used to live near her and see her every day going to pick up her kids from school.
‘The family are going to be traumatised, she did not deserve this at all.’
And another relative said: ‘I went to pay my respects to her husband yesterday and he is still in shock. He still thinks she is coming back, it hasn’t sunk in yet.
‘She was a beautiful kind loving soul who will always remain in our heart.’
Mrs Shehzadi’s cousin Shab Lush said.’She was on her way to school to collect her daughter not knowing what was ahead. She’s gone in this beautiful month of Ramadan.’
The mother is reported to have been on her way to pick up her daughter from primary school before the fatal collision.
As she lay dying on the road the school reportedly phoned her to say she was late collecting her child.
Uzmat Munir, 26, a Santander Bank employee, was working from his home overlooking the grassed area on Monday afternoon when he heard a loud noise.
He said: ‘I came out of the house after the driver has run away.
‘I saw the lady laying face down on the grass next to the tree. The car was empty and smashed into the rocks.
The mother is reported to have been on her way to pick up her child from primary school before the fatal collision
The driver left the scene before police officers arrived, said the force. Tributes were paid to the mother on social media, with one local describing her as ‘such a gentle soul’
‘My neighbour called an ambulance and we tried to help the lady, but none of us knew CPR.
‘There was about five of us stood around, not knowing what to do. A woman came before the ambulance arrived and turned her over and tried to revive her, but the poor lady was obviously dead. There was blood flowing from her mouth and a head wound – it was a blood bath.
‘The car had hit her, carried on the bonnet and after it hit the rocks, she had flown into the tree. It looked like she had hit her bed on the tree.’
Mr Munir added: ‘The ambulance took about seven or eight minutes to arrive.
‘I heard that whilst the paramedics tried to resuscitate the woman, her mobile phone rang, and it was the school ringing to let her know she was late picking her kid up.’
Meanwhile Rehana Nawaz, 48, who lives nearby, said: ‘I heard a lot of noise and thought it was a fight at first.
‘I went down and saw her laying down on the ground, face down. I asked a couple of guys standing there to roll her over onto her back.
‘You could see she had a massive injury to the right side of her head and there was a lot of blood coming from her mouth.
‘My sister-in-law, who is a teacher and knows CPR, tried about 10 compressions and then the ambulance arrived.
‘At first I thought she had been the driver of the car and I saw car keys on the ground beside the vehicle, but the I was told by someone there that the driver had run off.
‘One of the men who was first on the scene had held her hand and she looked at him as she took her last breath and passed away.
‘She took that same route every day at the same time to pick up her little girl.’
Today tributes were paid to the mother on social media, with one local describing her as ‘such a gentle soul’.
Police pictured at the scene. A 41-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder, following further investigations
In a statement released on Tuesday, West Yorkshire Police said: ‘Officers are aware of rumour suggesting the car involved was being chased by police just before the collision.
‘The force can confirm these rumours are incorrect and that the Citroen C1 was not being pursued by the police.’
A spokesperson added that specialist officers are continuing to support the woman’s family.
Chief Inspector Daniel Ware, of Bradford District Police, said: ‘We are continuing to investigate this fatal collision and are supporting the victim’s family at what is clearly a devastating time for them.
‘I want to thank residents and witnesses who have come forward with information to support the police investigation, and continue to urge witnesses who we may not have spoken with to contact us.
‘Anyone who can assist our enquiries with information and dashcam or CCTV/phone footage is asked to contact West Yorkshire Police via 101 or online using www.westyorkshire.police.uk/101livechat quoting log 1040 of 10/05.’