Motorist appears in court after two women killed on M20 hard shoulder between Swanley and Wrotham
A motorist has appeared in court accused of killing two women who were struck by a vehicle on a motorway hard shoulder after one stopped to help the other.
Dr Habiba Hajallie and Lisa Webber died in a horror crash on the M20 in Swanley[1], in October 2022, which also left another man injured.
Bilal Tahir was later charged with two counts of causing death by dangerous driving and one count of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.
He appeared at Medway Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday over the matters.
The two women were killed at about 8.20am on October 17, 2022 after Dr Hajallie, 35, aquaplaned on the coastbound carriageway and hit the barrier, damaging her vehicle.
Ms Webber saw the incident take place, and pulled over alongside the stricken vehicle, getting out of her car to help Dr Hajallie, but an inquest opened and adjourned on October 28 that year[2] heard a a third vehicle then left the carriageway and struck them and their cars.
Dr Hajallie suffered blunt force trauma to her torso, while Ms Webber sustained multiple injuries. Both died at the scene.
A third person, Mark Heap, was injured in the incident after also pulling over to aid Dr Hajallie.
The 55-year-old dad-of-three broke a bone in his back and one of his legs after he was pushed up against the crash barrier.
At the time, the inquest into both deaths was opened and immediately suspended[3] due to an ongoing criminal investigation.
Now, Tahir has appeared in court in connection with their deaths.
The 27-year-old, of South Gipsy Road, Welling, Bexleyheath, was at the wheel of a BMW X5 when the tragedy happened.
He appeared in court yesterday afternoon in front of District Judge William Nelson but didn’t enter any pleas in relation to the charges and didn’t give any indication of his plea either.
The cases were sent to Woolwich Crown Court to be dealt and Tahir will appear there for a preliminary hearing on October 22. He was granted bail until that hearing.
Dr Hajallie, who was affectionately known as Bee, was described by her family as a "true NHS hero" who had "selflessly sacrificed" by being away from her family during the pandemic as she worked on the Covid frontline.
The mother-of-one was working at the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford[4] when she died.
Dr Hajallie also worked at the Ellenor Hospice in Gravesend[5], with a charity spokesman previously paying tribute to them.
A statement read: "With the deepest regret, we share the devastating news of the death of our very own Doctor Habiba Hajallie who was tragically killed in a road traffic accident.
"Our thoughts go out to Habiba Hajallie's family and friends at this devastating time. Dr Bee will be greatly missed by us all."
Ms Webber's father took to social media to thank the team of tree surgeons who helped his daughter at the scene.
At the time, he said: "Your guys were involved with assisting first aid and CPR at a road traffic accident on M20 yesterday.
"Our daughter was one of the fatalities. We'd like to meet your guys to thank them and help us be at peace and lay our daughter Lisa Webber to rest."
The collision happened at about 8.20am on the hard shoulder of the coastbound carriageway between junctions 1 for Swanley M25 and junction 2 for Wrotham A20.
It was reported that four vehicles were involved in the incident, including a grey Infiniti Q30 Sport, a black BMW X5, a black VW Golf and a white Iveco Daily van.
Police attended, along with paramedics and fire crews.
At the time, motorists who were travelling in both directions of the M20 were urged to check for any dashcam footage, which may assist the police investigation.
References
- ^ horror crash on the M20 in Swanley (www.kentonline.co.uk)
- ^ but an inquest opened and adjourned on October 28 that year (www.kentonline.co.uk)
- ^ the inquest into both deaths was opened and immediately suspended (www.kentonline.co.uk)
- ^ Ashford (www.kentonline.co.uk)
- ^ Gravesend (www.kentonline.co.uk)