Car kills baby in pram after driver caught jeans in the pedals

The two-month-old boy suffered severe head injuries when a Ford Fiesta driven by a 62-year-old man swerved off the road, smashing down a wall.

One pedestrian managed to jump out of the was but the baby and his 32-year-old mother were hit.

Passers-by rushed to help but the little boy died less than an hour later in hospital.

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Accident scene: other families pass the scene of the tragedy in Park Avenue, Willesden

Witnesses claimed the motorist may have got his trousers caught on the pedals as he was driving and some said the engine still seemed to be revving after the vehicle came to a halt.

The driver, who was alone, blamed brake failure.

He passed a breath test but was yesterday being questioned by police. He could face charges. The accident occurred early on Monday evening in Willesden Green, North-West London.

Property developer Tony Singh, 40, who lives across the road with wife Govinder, 35, told how he saw the aftermath of the accident.

"I was speaking to the paramedics on my mobile phone and they told me to go to the baby and that an ambulance was on the way," he said.

"The baby was still, then gave a hiccup, and the paramedics told me to pinch him to get a reaction. He screamed a little and then the mother was pinching him too, then the ambulance arrived.

"Although he had blood on his head, I was hoping so much that he would be all right.

"It was so sad when the police officers doing door-to-door inquiries told me later in the evening that he had died."

He added: "I have my own 13-month-old child, Jasmine, and had picked her up from nursery earlier. If the traffic had been a bit heavier, and we were minutes later, it could have been us."

Charles Edwards, 35, said: "I saw the car mount the kerb and a guy wearing a tracksuit leapt out of the

way - and then the car smashed into the mother and child.

"The car was up in the air because it had just gone over a brick wall, but it was still revving.

"He obviously had his foot on the accelerator and the engine was still revving quite hard.

"He got out of the car quite casually as if he was just parking up. The mother was seeing to her baby, she was absolutely distraught.

"After that there was a lot of screaming. The mum was trying to help the baby and she was in a really bad way.

"There was hardly any damage to the car even though it smashed over a brick wall so he must have been travelling quite fast. It was just awful.

"I heard that his jeans may have become attached to the pedal. He was really lucky he didn't kill everybody."

Inspector Andy Nelson, of the Metropolitan Police, said the driver, from nearby Harrow, had told the authorities the incident was due to brake failure.

He said the man voluntarily attended Kilburn Police Station, where he was interviewed in the presence of his solicitor.

Asked whether the man was saying his jeans had caught in the pedals, Mr Nelson said: "That is one of a number of things that we are investigating."

The child's mother, who lives locally with her husband, was also injured in the collision. She was released after treatment at a nearby hospital. She has no other children.