Eight-year-old girl dies after Wimbledon school crash
A woman in her 40s has been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving
Last updated 6th Jul 2023
An eight year old girl has died following a crash at a Primary school in south west London
A car collided with the building of The Study Preparatory School in Camp Road in Wimbledon just before 10am
A woman in her 40s has been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving following the incident.
In a statement, the force said: "We can now confirm that sadly a child has died following an incident where a car collided with a building at a school in Wimbledon.
"We can also confirm that the driver of the vehicle, a woman aged in her 40s, has been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.
"There have been further injuries and we await an update from the London Ambulance Service."
The Met initially said seven children and two adults had been injured in the incident and the driver stopped at the scene.
Police, firefighters and paramedics, including London's Air Ambulance, responded at around 9.54am on Thursday.
The force said the incident is not being treated as terror-related.
The London Mayor has described the incident as absolutely devastating
“The incident this morning at a primary school on Camp Road in Wimbledon is absolutely devastating. My heart goes out to everyone affected.
“Police are on the scene and have confirmed the incident is not being treated as terror-related. An investigation is underway to understand the full circumstances and I continue to stay in close contact with the Met and other emergency services.
“Please avoid the area to allow emergency services free access to help all those who need it. If you have any information about the incident please call police on 101.”
Detective Chief Superintendent Clair Kelland fought back tears as she announced the age of the victim during a press conference outside the school on Thursday.
"We were called shortly before 10 o'clock this morning after a car collided with a building at The Study Preparatory School, behind me in Camp Road.
A large number of our officers were deployed to the scene, along with paramedics from the London Ambulance Service and London's Air Ambulance.
Our officers, along with our colleagues from the other emergency services, provided first aid to a number of people who had been injured.
Very sadly, one of the children, an eight-year-old girl, died at the scene.
Our thoughts are with her family at this incredibly difficult time.
The driver of the car, a woman aged in her 40s, stopped at the scene.
She was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and has been taken into custody.
This is a very difficult time for everyone here at the school and across the wider community.
We would ask people not to speculate while we work to understand the full circumstances of what has happened.
We are not treating this incident as terror related.
Our officers have already spoken to a number of witnesses and have viewed CCTV.
If anyone has any information about what happened, please contact us as soon as possible by calling 101, or speaking to officers here at the scene."
The school said on its website: "We are profoundly shocked by the tragic accident this morning at Wilberforce House and devastated that it has claimed the life of one of our young pupils as well as injuring several others.
"Our thoughts are with the bereaved family and with the families of those injured at this terrible time.
"It is still far too soon to fully understand what happened, but we are well aware of the significant impact this dreadful event will have on our pupils and their families.
"Their welfare remains our top priority and we will be doing everything we can to support them, especially those who suffered injuries.
"Now that a police investigation is under way we will not be making any further public statement for the time being and would ask that the privacy of our school community is respected at this deeply upsetting time."
The chairman of the board of governors, John Tucker, said the community was "profoundly affected" by the tragedy.
He declined to comment further as he stood beside the school's headteacher Helen Lowe, who was holding hands with headteacher-elect Sharon Maher.
Wimbledon MP Stephen Hammond, whose daughter previously attended the school, confirmed the eight-year-old girl died on the last day of term.
Speaking at the scene, Mr Hammond told the PA news agency: "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 by 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.
"This is a well-liked, well-respected, well-known school.
"Most of the children who go here will be Wimbledon families, and this will cause shock across the whole of the local community."
The school, which costs £5,565 per term, is for girls aged four to 11 and sits on Wimbledon Common, just a mile away from the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club as it hosts the world-famous tennis tournament.