Driver is held after runaway van death

A driver is being questioned by police after a woman was crushed to death by a runaway delivery van in front of lunchtime City workers.

The victim, in her early twenties, died when the van rolled down a hill and pinned her against a bollard. Another pedestrian was seriously injured.

Police are investigating whether the driver failed to apply his handbrake properly after parking in Pudding Lane on Friday. The 51-year-old was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter.

Paramedics and passers-by tried to free the woman, a German, from under the van after the accident at about 1.20pm.

The driver is believed to have stopped at the top of the sloping road to make a delivery. Witnesses said the van rolled forward with its back doors still open.

Office worker Sarah Jones, 22, said: "I saw a girl slumped on the ground. There was blood everywhere. The front left side of the van was smashed in so it must have been a pretty hard impact."

Witnesses should contact the investigation team on 020 7601 2222.