Mum’s Unborn Baby Killed in Hit-and-Run Horror in Bamber Bridge
Tragic Crash Leaves Mother Devastated
A mother’s world was shattered when a dangerous driver ploughed into her at a pelican crossing in Bamber Bridge, killing her unborn baby boy. Renju Joseph, 31, was five and a half months pregnant when she was struck by a speeding Toyota Prius on Station Road, near Longbrook Avenue and Fourfields.
The driver sped off without stopping. Mrs Joseph was rushed to hospital and underwent emergency surgery to deliver her baby, but tragically, the boy later died. The crash also left her with serious injuries and lasting mobility problems.
“Everything has changed for me now,” Mrs Joseph said in a powerful victim statement. “That one night, and the reckless actions of those two in that car, have ruined my life. I will never get to meet my baby or watch him grow up. They’ve taken my first child away and I’ll never get him back.”
Police Hunt Leads to Arrest
The crash happened just before 8pm on Sunday, 29 September last year. Lancashire Police’s Major Investigation Team quickly identified the offending Prius after it was found dumped in Farnworth, Greater Manchester. CCTV helped detectives track down the driver, 20-year-old Ashir Shahid of Windsor Road, Walton-le-Dale.
In June, Shahid admitted causing the death of a baby by dangerous driving and causing serious injury to Mrs Joseph. His 17-year-old accomplice, Sam Shahid, admitted assisting an offender and was also jailed.
Justice Served: Harsh Sentences handed down
On 14 August at Preston Crown Court, Ashir Shahid was sentenced to 13 years detention. He must serve at least two-thirds of that before release and was banned from driving for 15 years and one month—meaning a further seven years off the road after release.
Sam Shahid was jailed for three years for helping the driver evade justice.
Emotional Scars Run Deep
“I don’t know how I will ever move on from that night,” Mrs Joseph said. “My baby should be here. I have physical scars but the emotional ones hurt the most. There isn’t a day I don’t think about my baby boy.”
Lancashire Police called the crash “one of the most tragic and avoidable” they’ve investigated. They praised Mrs Joseph’s bravery through the ordeal.
