Mum Left Fighting for Life After 90mph Audi Crash Near Birmingham City FC
A screaming mother was left fighting for her life after a speeding Audi driver caused a massive collision near Birmingham City Football Club's St. Andrew's Stadium. Cowardly driver Azam Adal, 30, tripled the 30mph speed limit on Cattell Road before overtaking another vehicle on a blind corner and ploughing into a Toyota Yaris.
Devastating Injuries and Family Trauma
The front seat passenger in the Yaris, a mother of two young girls, suffered catastrophic injuries that kept her hospitalized for months away from her children. She sustained a fractured skull, bleeding on the brain, broken ribs, pelvis, vertebrae and coccyx, plus injuries to her liver and spleen.
She required two blood transfusions, multiple surgeries, and had screws and plates fitted during her extensive medical treatment. The victim entered Birmingham Crown Court using a walker, still in recovery from the life-altering injuries.
Her previously happy family life has been completely upended. She now lives with her parents, requires carers up to four times daily, cannot climb stairs, and her hopes of training as a nurse have been destroyed. The trauma has severely affected her mental health, bond with her children, and relationship with her husband.
Fleeing the Scene and Cover-Up Attempt
After causing the carnage, Adal saw the wreckage he had created and immediately fled. He demanded a stranger in the car behind him, ironically the motorist he had just overtaken, to drive him away from the scene under the false pretence of needing hospital treatment.
Adal then hatched a cover-up plan, calling his brother-in-law Luqmaan Ali, 29, who owned the Audi S3. He instructed Ali to collect the car keys and lie to police that the vehicle had been stolen.
Ali initially went along with the deception, maintaining the stolen car story to police the morning after the crash. However, he later arranged a voluntary interview and confessed the truth, identifying Adal as the actual driver.
Court Proceedings and Sentencing
At Birmingham Crown Court, CCTV footage captured the horrifying moment of impact. The video showed the Audi zooming past at tremendous speed, followed by screeching brakes and a huge bang. Collision investigators determined Adal had been driving at 90mph moments before the crash, slowing to 77-80mph just before impact.
Adal pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving. The court heard he had previous convictions for robbery offences in 2017 and conspiracy to steal cars in 2018. A probation officer reported that Adal "engaged in bravado while driving fast cars" and posed a high risk of harm to other road users.
Judge Andrew Lockhart KC described Adal's driving as "aggressive" and told him: "Had you been driving at the speed limit there would have been no collision and no need to brake. The impact is incredible."
The judge noted Adal made no attempt to help the injured victims, instead worrying only about himself and orchestrating his escape from the scene.
Sentences Handed Down
Azam Adal was sentenced to three years and four months imprisonment and banned from driving for six years and eight months. His defence claimed he showed "genuine remorse and insight" and was a stay-at-home father while his wife worked for the NHS.
Luqmaan Ali admitted perverting the course of justice and received an 18-month prison sentence. The court heard he had no previous convictions and suffered sleepless nights before confessing to police when he realized how seriously the woman had been injured.
Judge Lockhart told Ali his biggest problem was that he agreed to the cover-up after driving to the collision scene and seeing the wreckage firsthand. "You went back to the scene and formed a lie to cover up a near death of a person," the judge stated.
The collision occurred shortly before midnight on March 29, 2024, near St. Andrew's Stadium. Fortunately, the baby daughter in the back of the Yaris avoided serious injury, though the married couple in the front seats bore the brunt of the impact.
