First picture of girl, one, killed in ‘drug drive smash’ as devastated mum says ‘we didn’t have a chance’
THIS is the first picture of a toddler who was killed in a “drug drive smash” as her heartbroken mum says “we didn’t have a chance”.
Twenty-two month old Zhaoxi Wang, known as Xi Xi, died in the crash and her father Qi Wang was injured.
Epileptic driver Lee Burford, 44, had ignored medical advice and continued to drive his Renault Clio before the tragedy happened in Ruislip, West London, on October 25, 2020.
Burford has now been jailed after his car mounted the pavement and crashed into the dad and his young daughter.
On Thursday, Burford, from Harrow, pleaded guilty to causing her death by dangerous driving and was jailed for four years and two months.
He was handed concurrent sentences for causing injury by dangerous driving and fraudulently failing to declare he suffered from fits to gain employment as a driver in 2017.
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The defendant was also disqualified from driving for seven years and one month.
Opening the facts, Catherine Pattison told the Old Bailey: “The tragic nature of the case is perhaps even more significant because had he notified the DVLA of a seizure he suffered four months earlier on June 22 2020, then Mr Burford would not have had a driving licence at all.”
The prosecutor said the defendant had disregarded advice of medics not only about his epilepsy but also non-prescription drugs and had continued to drive regardless.
She said: “It would appear he consumed a quantity of cocaine some time before getting behind the wheel of October 25, 2020, the date of the fatal collision.”
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The crash happened at about 4.20pm on a stretch of road with a 30mph speed limit.
Mr Wang was pushing his daughter in a pushchair accompanied by his wife on their way home from a park.
Ms Pattison said: “At the time of the collision Zhaoxi was strapped into her pushchair. She was facing forward.”
Burford’s Clio mounted the pavement and struck Mr Wang and the pushchair.
“Mr Wang was thrown sideways towards a low wall and the pushchair was thrown into the air and landed onto the road.”
The vehicle continued on the pavement, hit a telephone exchange box and sign post before coming to a stop in the road, the court heard.
Mr Wang suffered a broken arm and his young daughter’s injuries were too serious and she died at the scene, the court was told.
Her mother, 31, said: “It [the car] was coming at us fast on the pavement. My husband was pushing the pram it came at us head on we didn’t stand a chance.”
‘THE MOST BEAUTIFUL SMILE’
She added: “She had the most beautiful smile, and her eyes were always full of love and laughter. She was our angel, our everything and there isn’t a moment that we could stop thinking about her.”
In a victim impact statement Mr Wang said losing their daughter had been “absolutely devastating for us” and he was left feeling angry and helpless.
He said: “What I would like to say to the defendant is; you should have stayed away from driving.
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“You will never know how it feels to be in this situation. To be in our shoes.
“We were trying to be responsible, good citizens, abiding by the law but of course we had no control over other people. You did the opposite.”