Birmingham death crash photo bystanders 'lost humanity'

Bystanders who took grisly photos of a crash scene where six people lay dead have been condemned by one of the victim's families.

Distressing images of bodies were shared online after last December's "horrific" crash in Birmingham.

The family of Tauqeer Hussain, 26, said people "pulling out mobile phones to record tragedies" had robbed the victims of their dignity.

Inquests at the city's coroners' court concluded on Wednesday.

Mr Hussain was one of three people in an Audi S3 who suffered "catastrophic injuries" in the smash on Belgrave Middleway, Edgbaston.

On Tuesday, the inquest heard driver Kasar Jehangir lost control while driving at "excessive speed".

The car, which had two defective tyres, ploughed sideways into an oncoming taxi, killing Mr Jehangir and two passengers.

Mr Jehangir, 25, and Mohammed Fahsha, 30, died from multiple injuries while Mr Hussain, 26, sustained a fatal head injury.

None of the men, from Small Heath, had been wearing seat-belts and were ejected from the car, along with sole survivor Zakkria Khan, 18.

Mr Jehangir also had cannabis in his blood, which senior coroner Louise Hunt found had "contributed" to the crash.

After the crash, West Midlands Police asked people not to share distressing images of the crash which appeared on social media.

Giving evidence, PC Keith Evans, of West Midlands Police, described a scene of "smoke, steam and dust" when he arrived at the site of the collision.

He said of those killed in the Audi: "There is no doubt in my mind they had all passed away immediately."

In a statement released after the hearing Mr Hussain's family said he had "no dignity" in his death.

"When it comes to pulling out mobile phones to record tragedies, you really get to see the extent of how humanity is being lost," they added.

Taxi drive Imtiaz Mohammed, 33, and passengers Lucy Davis, a 43-year-old mother-of-two, and her partner, Lee Jenkins, 42, were also killed.

During inquests into their deaths on Tuesday, survivor Mr Khan denied that the car's occupants had been out dealing drugs at the time of the crash, but admitted he had smoked some.

After Tuesday's hearing Lee Jenkins' mother Anne urged safety measures be installed along the dual carriageway road.

Concluding the inquests, Ms Hunt said: "I do hope you can remember the loved ones as you described them to me, and not the terrible way you lost them."