Two dead after becoming trapped in car in flooded Liverpool road

Two people have died after becoming trapped in their car in a flooded Liverpool road this weekend.

Merseyside Police were called to Queens Drive in Mossley Hill at around 9.20pm on Saturday, August 26^[1] after reports of a concern for the safety of a man and a woman who were trapped in a car submerged in water under a bridge.

Police said the man and woman were in a black Mercedes Class 180, which drove into a flooded area of Queens Drive^[2], between North Mossley Hill Road and Dovedale Road. Police patrols assisted by Merseyside Fire and Rescue Services were at the scene until the early hours of Sunday morning.

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The emergency services at the scene located the body of a man and woman, both were taken to hospital where they were sadly pronounced dead.

The next of kin of the man and woman have now been informed and formal identification has been made. A file has been passed to the coroner who has asked Merseyside Police to further investigate the incident.

Detective Chief Inspector Mike Dalton said: “Our thoughts go out to the family of the man and woman who sadly lost their lives in this tragic incident, despite the best efforts of passing members of the public, our officers and Merseyside Fire and Rescue Services at the scene.

“We are at the early stages of an ongoing investigation on Queens Drive to establish the circumstances of this tragic incident. Road closures remain in the area as we continue with this investigation and motorists are advised to avoid the road."

“We are continuing to appeal to anyone who was on Queens Drive, between North Mossley Hill Road and Dovedale Road at around 9.20pm last night and saw the accident, or who stopped to try and help or anyone who had any dashcam footage from their car to come forward as soon as possible.

“Similarly, if you live in the area and have any doorbell or CCTV footage from last night please share this with us. Thank you for your patience whilst we deal with this tragic incident.”

Eyewitnesses described seeing a car submerged under water in the road on Saturday night.

Rebecca Wilson was traveling along Queens Drive when her taxi nearly went into the water at 9pm on Saturday evening. The 27-year-old said the water was around 15ft high. She believes the flooding may have come about because of a burst pipe.

She said: "We went to turn around the car and all of a sudden it looked like a waterfall coming down from the side of the bridge. As I looked back out of the window I turned to my mates and told them I thought I had just seen red lights under the water and I thought maybe someone had become stuck. I rang the police just to be safe."

Rebecca added: "The water just came out of nowhere and the rain was so heavy that night and a part of me just wished I had turned back and gone home. It was terrifying and I just thought I was seeing things at first and then I saw on the news that there was a car in there this morning.

"The water was gushing down like a waterfall and it was tonnes and tonnes of water. It looked like a burst dam and I think it must have been 15ft high right at the bottom of the dip."

Those living around the area told the ECHO about how the road, which dips as it goes beneath a bridge, has long been a problem. They said that multiple cars have been stuck in deep water in the last few months, which they said floods whenever there is torrential rain.

One man who lives on an adjacent road was walking his dog when the ECHO attended the scene this morning. He spoke about the heavy rain last night that led to the flooding of the road.

He said: "I've never seen it that bad. That's the deepest I've ever seen it. It was absolutely lashing it down. Rarely have I seen it rain that bad. But nearly every time it rains they seem to have to close the road.

"The whole of Rose Lane was moving [because of the water] yesterday then to think somebody drove down there.

He added: "You could see the waves on it. I've never seen it that deep. Everybody was out last night. They had a drone over the top and you could hear the pumps. Neighbours said there was one or two ambulances."

Another neighbour said: "It floods every time you have torrential rain. In the last 6 months there have been at least two cars stuck. There is nothing leading it to warn people of the flooding."

One woman at the scene this morning said the problem was "supposed to have been fixed." She said flooding and cars getting stuck "happens all the time."

A Liverpool City Council spokesperson said: “This was a tragic incident and our thoughts are with those involved and their families. Council officers from highways and City Watch supported the emergency services in responding. The road is expected to remain closed for some time while an investigation takes place, and motorists are asked to continue to avoid the area.”

Anyone with information on this incident is urged to call the Matrix Roads Policing Unit on (0151) 777 5747 or contact @MerPolCC on Twitter or Merseyside Police Contact Centre on Facebook quoting reference 23000807137.

You can also pass information via Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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References

1. ^{^} Mossley Hill at around 9.20pm on Saturday, August 26 (www.liverpoolecho.co.uk)
2. ^{^} Mercedes Class 180, which drove into a flooded area of Queens Drive (www.liverpoolecho.co.uk)
3. ^{^} Don't miss the biggest and breaking stories by signing up to the Echo Daily newsletter here (www.liverpoolecho.co.uk)
4. ^{^} Don't miss the biggest and breaking stories by signing up to the Echo Daily newsletter here (www.liverpoolecho.co.uk)