A girl who died after a Land Rover ploughed into a school during an end of term tea party has been named. Tributes have poured in for tragic eight-year-old Selena, whose surname has not been confirmed, after the tragedy at The Study Prep school in Wimbledon, South West London, on Thursday morning.
A message left at the scene of the harrowing incident hailed "shining star" Selena. A woman wearing a sling on her arm visited the scene on Friday morning, leaving flowers in a box and a card as she was consoled by a man she arrived with.
She left after pausing to look at some other floral tributes. Her note, which included kisses and had a picture of a star on it, read: “Dear Selena, you will always be our shining star. We will miss you so much.”
London Ambulance Service sent 15 ambulances to the incident, with 16 patients at the scene and twelve of them rushed to hospital after the gold and black Land Rover Defender crashed through the school gates and into the school just before 10am yesterday.
The Met Police confirmed a woman in her 40s was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving. She remains in police custody and officers are not treating the incident as terror-related.
A police cordon had been removed from outside the school this morning, with a number of tributes laid at the scene. One message read: “To the Study and parents. So sorry for this tragic loss to the school and the family. Forever in our thoughts.
Ian Hewitt, chairman of the All England Lawn Tennis Club, also laid flowers at The Study. He told reporters: “We feel closely associated with the community. What a tragic incident – we just offer our heartfelt sympathies to all affected.”
A local teacher, who wished to remain unnamed, told PA: “A friend of mine has friends who have children who go to the school. She said they have all kinds of broken bones including a broken pelvis. I’m a teacher and I’m a mother and it could have happened to us. It could have happened to anybody.”
Sophia Graham, 27, and Tayla Landsberg, 22, from nearby New Malden, brought flowers to the police cordon on Thursday evening. Ms Landsberg said: “It’s usually very peaceful, very bubbly with lots of fun activities going on.”
Ms Graham said: “When we found out one of the kids had died it was awful. When the police made their announcement it was so sad to see even them get emotional. It’s made a big impact on everyone.
The Study Prep released a statement on its website, offering their sympathies to Selena's loved ones and stating their "profound shock" at the incident. The statement added: “Our thoughts are with the bereaved family and with the families of those injured at this terrible time.
"It is still far too soon to fully understand what happened, but we are well aware of the significant impact this dreadful event will have on our pupils and their families. Their welfare remains our top priority and we will be doing everything we can to support them, especially those who suffered injuries.”
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