Man arrested after 14-year-old girl dies in New Year's Eve collision
A 14-year-old girl has died after being hit by a car near a railway station in Sandwell on New Year's Eve.
The youngster was in Station Road, near Rowley Regis Railway Station, when she was struck by a grey Mercedes at around 4.45pm.
Paramedics rushed to the scene but there was nothing that could be done to save the girl and she was pronounced dead just before 5.30pm.
The driver, a 39-year-old man, stopped at the scene and was arrested on suspicion of causing death by driving while under the influence of drugs.
He remained in police custody as of New Year's Day.
The girl's family have been notified and a family liaison officer was being deployed to support them.
Sergeant Julie Lyman, from the force's Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: "This is a truly awful way to start the new year and my heart goes out to the girl’s family and friends.
"We’ve started an investigation to understand what happened and the driver has been arrested, as we believe he was driving while unfit through drugs.
"The investigation is clearly in the early stages and I would urge people not to speculate online about what happened. It’s really not helpful and can be very upsetting for the family."
Police have urged anyone who may have witnessed the incident to come forward – or if they saw the grey Mercedes driving in the build-up to the crash, or have dash-cam footage of the incident.
Contact the force via the live chat option at west-midlands.police.uk or email the Serious Collision Investigation Unit directly at FL_COLLISION_INVEST@westmidlands.police.uk
