Man tells of battle to save one-year-old boy hit by minicab yards from Hyde Park

Crash: Police guard a cordon at the scene of the collision, with a child's buggy seen in the background
Nigel Howard
Jamie Bullen8 March 2016

A man has told how he battled to save the life of a one-year-old boy after he was hit by a minicab outside a Kensington hotel.

Alon Mahpud, 48, ran out of his flat after the toddler was knocked down in Hyde Park Gate as he was being pushed in his buggy by an elderly female relative.

The married father-of-two dialled 999 and said he called out the boy’s name to try and wake him as he was moved to the back of a car where he lay unconscious.

He said: “I was inside on the phone when it happened and didn't see the car hit, just the aftermath.

"The old lady picked up the baby and started to scream for help. I was on the phone to the emergency services and they asked me to run out and check on the child.

“I yelled his name for a few minutes and at one point he moved his hand and was breathing heavily.

"He had a bad head injury and bruises on the sides of his face."

Paramedics rushed the boy to hospital but he died shortly before 10pm, almost four hours after the incident.

The toddler has yet to be formally identified.

On Tuesday, Mr Mahpud laid flowers outside Palace Gate, a block of flats and commercial properties he owns, just yards from where the boy was hit.

He said he had repeatedly warned Kensington and Chelsea Council the road was “dangerous”.

The architect said cars drive in the road quickly, and because a footpath runs directly across it pedestrians often do not look out for traffic.

He added: “For three years I have been telling them that this is dangerous, and last night I emailed to say I would get a court injunction to say it is not safe.

"If nothing is done in seven days I will write to the High Court to get closure of this carriage road.

“Pedestrians don't look, they feel it is safe and suddenly a car comes from the side.

"The council needs to close this road as it is not safe.

"I don't want to blame anybody for anything but they could have avoided it (the incident)."

A spokesman for Kensington and Chelsea Borough Council said: "We are saddened to hear about the death of this child. The police are investigating the circumstances and the council will assist them as required.

"The council's database for recording personal injuries on the highway, which goes back to 2002, shows there has been no report of any personal injuries at this lay-by."

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