A manhunt has been launched for a van driver who left a woman severely injured after running her over on a golf course in Birmingham while being chased by cops.
The collision, which occurred yesterday morning at Aston Wood Golf Club in Little Aston, was so severe that the woman in her 60s was airlifted to hospital after being left with ‘life-changing injuries’.
She was immediately taken to the city’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital where she remains in a ‘critical but stable condition’.
Now, the force are hunting for the driver, who along with two passengers fled the scene and remain at large.
The police watchdog – which is independently investigating the incident – said officers in two patrol cars were following the grey Nissan van at around 10.15am yesterday after receiving reports of suspicious activity.
‘We understand the police cars stopped following the van after it came off the road and went up an embankment onto the golf course where the van collided with a woman,’ a spokesman for the the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said.
‘Officers followed a short time later, on foot, and gave first aid to the woman who was then taken to hospital for treatment for life changing injuries.’
In the dashcam footage obtained by MailOnline, a van is seen speeding past a car on a roundabout while being chased by a police car.
CCTV footage captured the moment the van veered on to Aston Wood Golf Course before striking a woman in her 60s who was left with ‘life-changing injuries’
Now, the force are hunting for the driver, who along with two passengers fled the scene and remain at large
A cordon was set up at the entrance to the golf course after police and paramedics rushed to the scene
Separate CCTV footage shows the moment the van then left the A4026 between Sutton Coldfield and Shenstone before veering up a bank to the side of the entrance road.
Two police cars appeared to be in pursuit, with an officer seen jumping out of their vehicle and giving chase on foot over a grassy bank.
The chase was carried out by West Midlands Police officers, but the investigation is now being handled by Staffordshire Police who today have appealed for any information which could assist them.
The golf course was hosting a wake shortly after the crash at lunchtime.
One of the mourners, Liam Brannigan said: ‘They allowed the wake to carry on even though the course had been closed because of what had happened.
‘I was told that a woman was walking on the course and got hit by a van. I was told it went right over her. The van then crashed.’
Police cars were seen rushing to the golf course near Sutton Coldfield after the woman was injured yesterday morning
Local reports suggested a crashed van could be seen in a ditch near the first hole of the golf course.
West Midlands Ambulance Service said it deployed two ambulances, two paramedic officers, a trauma doctor, critical care paramedic and an air ambulance after being called to the scene at 10.26am yesterday.
A spokesman said: ‘Upon arrival we found a woman who was the pedestrian with life-threatening injuries in a critical condition.
‘Ambulance staff quickly began administering advanced life support and advanced trauma care to her at the scene which continued en route to Queen Elizabeth Hospital where she was conveyed via air ambulance for further treatment.
‘No further patients required treatment.’
