Selena Lau and Nuria Sajjad – both eight-years-old- died after a Land Rover crashed into an end-of-term tea party at Study Prep School.
Tributes have poured all week after the tragic event last Thursday morning July 6 made headline news. Selena Lau died that day and Nuria Sajjad on Sunday, July 9.
Nuria’s family paid tribute to her as ‘the light of our lives’. They said: “She embodied joy, kindness and generosity and she was loved by all around her.
“We would like to thank the efforts of the emergency services, all the extraordinary staff at St George’s Hospital, the parents of Nuria’s class fellows and staff of the Study Prep for all they have done to ease Nuria’s journey.”
In a statement released for Selena, who was pictured for the first time on Friday in her school uniform, her family said: “Selena was an intelligent and cheeky girl adored and loved by everyone.”
In total 35 police vehicles were deployed to the scene on Camp Road and officers worked with paramedics to give first aid. A total of twelve people were taken to hospital and a woman aged in her 40s remains in a serious condition. Others, including a seven-month-old girl, were also taken to hospital with injuries later assessed as non-life threatening.
The driver of the car, a 46-year-old woman from Wimbledon, was arrested at the scene on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving. She was taken to hospital but her condition was assessed as non-life threatening. She has been bailed to a date in late July pending further enquiries.
The school sits on a quiet 20mph road by Wimbledon Common and teaches girls aged four to eleven.
On Friday afternoon members of the Wimbledon Common Golf Club, opposite the school, held a minute’s silence outside the school gates.
Over the weekend mourners were pictured laying floral tributes . Families wept and embraced one another as they tried to process the events that unfolded on the last day of term.
Pupils and staff at the prep school are being offered counselling to help them to cope.
Detective Chief Superintendent Clair Kelland, local policing commander for south-west London, said: “It is difficult to imagine the pain and upset the families of those involved are going through and we will do all we can to support them as our investigation continues.
“I know the impact of this tragic incident is also being felt in the wider community and we are working with our partners to ensure the appropriate support is in place.
“This was the largest local policing deployment in south-west London since 2017 and our officers, along with members of the other emergency services, were met with a challenging and traumatic scene.
“I would like to praise them for doing all they could to help those injured. I have no doubt this incident would have also had a significant impact on them, and we will ensure their welfare is looked after.
“I understand many people will want answers about how this happened and there is a team of detectives working to establish the circumstances. I would ask the community to avoid speculating on a possible cause whilst these enquiries are carried out.”
