A minicab driver named Ashenafei Demissie, 53, is denying charges of careless driving in a case where his electric car fatally struck a five-year-old boy and severely injured his own son in a car park in South London. Demissie asserts that his car moved forward without his control.
Demissie was in his Volkswagen ID.4 outside his residence near London Bridge Station when the vehicle hit Fareed Amir and Raphael, Demissie’s 12-year-old son, on November 25, 2022. The car also hit five parked vehicles before it stopped.
Fareed suffered a skull fracture and died at Guy’s Hospital. Raphael sustained multiple fractures in his leg and was hospitalized for a month.
Currently, Demissie is facing trial at the Old Bailey, charged with causing death and severe injury by careless driving. He denies these charges.
The tragic incident took place in Borough, South London. The two families have been close friends for 13 years, and Fareed used to call Demissie “Uncle Ash.”
During the trial, it was shared that Demissie had offered a sweet to Fareed while seated in his car. Fareed’s mother, Rosa, also known as Maryam Lemulu, declined the offer. Moments later, the electric car abruptly moved forward.
Demissie and his defense attorney, Steven Knight, argue that Demissie did not press the accelerator and the car moved on its own.
Demissie told officers that he thought Fareed activated a sensor on the car. He attempted to brake but described the incident as occurring in a split second.
However, following an examination of the Volkswagen in December 2022, Mark Still, a traffic collision investigator with the Metropolitan Police, found no mechanical faults in the 11-month-old vehicle, which had approximately 19,132 miles on it at the time of the collision.
Still found no defects that could have contributed to the collision and found no issues with the vehicle’s operation, including steering, brake, and acceleration. He testified that the vehicle could not have moved without driver input and concluded that Demissie must have pressed the accelerator instead of the brake.
During cross-examination, prosecutor Michael Williams asked if anything could have caused the car to move forward without physical action from the driver, to which Still responded negatively.
Still explained a common phenomenon where drivers mistakenly press the accelerator thinking it’s the brake. When the vehicle starts moving, the driver presses harder on what they perceive as the brake pedal, effectively accelerating the car.
Williams suggested that Demissie might have thought his car was in park mode, and when he went to shift out of park, he accidentally pressed the accelerator. Demissie countered this theory, stating that there is a difference between an accelerator and a brake.
The court learned that Demissie, a minicab driver for Addison Lee, had 21 years of driving experience. At the time of the incident, he was working seven days a week. He testified that his feet were stationary on the car floor before the vehicle started moving.
When asked by his defense attorney about the position of his feet during the incident, Demissie claimed they remained on the floor and did not move until after the car began moving. He then hit the brake two to three times before the car stopped after hitting the parked vehicles.
After the collision, Fareed was taken to Guy’s Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. Demissie stayed with his son Raphael, who remained hospitalized for a month due to his injuries.
Demissie is married to Yodit Samuel, a long-time friend of Fareed’s mother. Testimonies vary on the length of their friendship, with some accounts stating 17 years, while others suggest 13 years.
The defense’s claim that Fareed activated a sensor on the vehicle has not been corroborated by the expert’s examination.
The prosecution argues that Demissie’s actions constitute careless driving. To prove the charges of causing death and severe injury by careless driving, it must be demonstrated that the defendant’s driving fell below the standard expected of a competent and careful driver.
Demissie tearfully described his feelings before the tragedy during his testimony. He recalled feeling happy and mentioned that Fareed seemed excited just before the collision.
The trial continues at the Old Bailey, with additional evidence to be presented before the jury begins deliberations. The case has raised questions about electric vehicle safety and driver responsibility in the context of the automotive industry’s growing electrification.
