Wolverhampton community 'still in shock' after fatal crash at Lidl store

There was a feeling of shock in the air among residents and business owners the day after an incident which saw a car crash into a supermarket.

The scene at the Lidl on Finchfield Hill in Wolverhampton was one of devastation on Friday night after a car had gone through the front of the store and come to a rest at the back.

The crash occurred after a woman was believed to have suffered a “medical incident” while driving, with a man in his 30s pronounced dead at the scene, while a woman was taken to hospital in a serious condition along with the driver of the car.

Crews from West Midlands Ambulance Service and Fire Service and officers from West Midlands Police worked through the night to treat people and ensure the store was safe, while the Finchfield Road West, Oak Hill and Finchfield Hill were closed until Saturday morning.

It was a bleak scene on Saturday outside the store, as while the roads had been reopened, the entrance to the car park remained cordoned off, and police officers only allowing people onto the grounds to remove their cars.

There were large amounts of broken glass visible on the floor outside the entrance to the store, while the front set of doors were no longer in place and the back set were severely damaged.

There was also a metal bollard outside which had been flattened and a trolley set by the front door with noticeable damage.

Inside the store, the damage caused by the car was clear to see, with debris and fluids strewn across the floor, damaged check out counters lined up next to each other and the car still in place, with the frontage of the car noticeably damaged.

The aftermath of the tragic events on Friday night were still being felt by people in the community of Finchfield, with Jas Ghale, owner of Ghales cafe, among those still in shock.

Mr Ghale said he had been working at the cafe when he heard a noise, but said he only realised what had happened when police cars started flying past, then described seeing the devastation the crash had caused.

He said: “Every evening, I’ll come to the cafe around 6pm, just to close it, so I was there last night when I heard a loud thud and a loud clanking noise, like something being locked from a distance.

“At the time, I didn’t take that much notice of it, but then within five minutes, police car after police car kept going past and I was wondering what was going on, thinking it might be a crash at the mini-roundabout.

“I looked outside and saw a fire engine, so thought it might be a fire at the store, but then more ambulances started arriving and there was incident response and all that within 30 minutes, so I walked down and I saw people coming out of the store.

“Some of them were cut, some of them were in shock and some of them were crying, and that’s when I found out that a car had gone through the front doors and ended up at the other end near the self-service checkouts, so I know something really serious had happened.”

Mr Ghale said he seen a triage centre set up at nearby Westacre Infants school and spoke about helping someone who had been in the store at the time.

He said: “I saw the ambulances lining up, so I helped people to get down to the school to be seen as they were in shock, including one person who kept reciting what had happened as he had been working in an aisle when it happened and some of the stuff had fallen on him.

“I helped him to the ambulance as he wasn’t very steady on his legs and I just started to help some of the people I knew until they cordoned off the area because of the severity at what had happened.

“We’re all still in shock at what has happened and thinking about a major incident happening so close to you and the gravity of it just settles in on you.

“Thing is, I wasn’t in that building, but a lot of people were and they will be feeling a lot worse off today, so it’s just terrible what has happened.”

The feeling of shock was being shared by other people around the area, with people speaking about surprise at the incident and sorrow about the death of a man.

One woman said: “I’m just shocked about what happened and I don’t understand how the car managed to avoid hitting the front column and instead went straight through the doors.

“It’s really awful to hear that a man died and we’ve heard rumours of other people being critical, so it’s just awful and tragic.”

A local business owner, who didn’t want to be named, said he’d been working with the blinds closed when he heard a bang, but didn’t realise what had happened until he’d seen blue flashing lights.

He said: “I was in my shop finishing off a job when I heard a really loud bang, but didn’t think anything of it and the blinds were closed.

“However, I looked outside and saw police and ambulance and fire crews everywhere and I’ve been catching up on the details since, including finding out that someone had died.

“It’s really sad and tragic for the loss of life and finding out how many people have been injured.”

Lidl said it was working with the police as part of the investigation and would do everything it could to support its staff after the incident.

A spokeswoman for Lidl said: “We are deeply saddened by the incident at our Finchfield Hill store and our hearts go out to the man's family and loved ones, and all involved in this tragic event.

“We are doing everything we can to support our store team and assist West Midlands Police with their ongoing investigation.

“The store will remain closed until further notice.”