Woman killed in A12 police motorbike collision on children’s taxi convoy

A convoy of London taxis taking hundreds of kids from deprived East End families on an outing to the seaside was involved in a fatal accident today in which a woman in her 70s was killed.

The 110 taxis had just left Victoria Park on the annual trip to Southend when a police motorcycle outrider accompanying the convoy was in collision with the woman on the A12 dual carriageway approaching Gant’s Hill.

The woman was pronounced dead at the scene.

The police rider was badly injured and had to be air-lifted by helicopter to hospital. The road was cordoned off as the helicopter landed.

The officer from the City of London Police has been detained in the Royal London in Whitechapel with severe chest and arm injuries.

At least two taxi-drivers were asked to remain at the scene to give witness statements to police accident investigators while the convoy carrying the 230 children continued on to Southend.

Raymond Levy of the London Taxi Drivers Fund for Underprivileged Children, which organised the annual outing, told the Advertiser: “This is an unfortunate accident and we send our deepest condolences to the woman’s family.

“Two of our drivers had to stay behind to give witness statements to the police and the children they were carrying had to be transferred to other taxis. It’s sad when this happens, but it was out of our hands.

“None of the children or any of out drivers were involved in the accident.”

The children from deprived families from all over Tower Hamlets and Hackney are spending the day at Southend being treated to an afternoon at Adventure Island, which will be followed by a disco and party before the convoy returns to Victoria Park this-evening.