A driver ran off when a passenger was flung to his death from a spinning car in an horrific two-vehicle smash in Wolverhampton today.
The victim, who was in his 20s, suffered serious head injuries and was killed instantly as he was hurled into the road through an open window or door.
The crash happened near the Royal Mail depot at 4.20am and closed Wednesfield Road between its junctions with Sun Street and Springfield Road in both directions.
The victim, who was not wearing a seatbelt, was travelling in a silver Honda Civic which collided with a dark blue Mazda at the junction of Lincoln Street.
The Mazda driver ran off and is being hunted by police. It is unclear if anyone else was in the car at the time. The 22-year-old Honda driver escaped with minor injuries and has been taken into custody by police.
The damaged Mazda came to rest straddling the cycle lane and pavement in Wednesfield Road while the Honda ended up on the pavement in Lincoln Street. Debris littered the junction.
Police say one theory is the Mazda was driving along the bus lane and the Honda was turning into Lincoln Street when tragedy struck.
The Honda was hit on the rear nearside and sent into a spin during which the front seat passenger was hurled to his death. He is believed to be a batchelor who lived near the scene.
Inspector Paul Richards said: “Inquiries are continuing to trace the driver of the other vehicle and I would appeal for anybody who was in that car at the time of the accident to contact us as soon as possible. We would also like to hear from any witnesses.”
OSS car sales and ATS tool hire were unable to operate normally because they are inside the police cordon. The road was set to reopen around lunchtime.
Anybody with information is asked to contact the police on 0845 113 5000.
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