First victim named in Birmingham multiple car crash was 'happy' dad-of-six taxi driver on 'last job of the night'

The first victim in a multi-vehicle crash In Birmingham that left six people dead has been named locally as Imtiaz Mohammed.

The taxi driver, 33, was killed along with his two passenger, who were 42 and 43, in the horrific accident in Edgbaston in the early hours of Sunday.

Mohammed, a father-of-six, had phoned his wife, Nargas Gul, to say he would be home after his last fare before the smash, his brother said.

He was described by grieving relatives as a “happy, loving and friendly guy”.

Two more victims of the crash in Mohammed Fasha, 30, and 26-year-old Tauqeer Hussain, known as Tox to his family — were also named on Monday.

The men, who were travelling in an Audi S3, were killed when they were thrown out of the car.

Another man died died and a fourth travelling in the car remains in a critical condition at the city’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

The taxi driver’s younger brother Noorshad Mohammed, 32, said: “It was his last job of the night. That was the last time she spoke to him.”

Mohammed’s father Ikhtiar recalled how his “heart sank” as police knocked on his door at 5am on Sunday.

The 65-year-old said: “I knew there was something wrong, as soon as I saw them. I thought to myself, ‘which of my sons is hurt’, I just knew something was seriously wrong.”

He said that Mohammed’s wife was still in deep shock while relatives struggled with how to break the news to the couple’s five daughters and son, all aged under 15.

One of their girls had been due to celebrate her fourth birthday on Monday.

Older sister Nassrin Bibi paid tribute to her brother and said the family had been “shattered” by what had happened.

Mohammed worked for local firm Castle Cars, which said in a statement: “Imtiaz was a wonderful, young, hard-working family man”, who was “loved and respected by all”.

One of those who died was named locally by neighbours as Tauqeer Hussain, whose family declined to comment.

At the scene on Sunday night, three of the lesser damaged cars were being removed, as police continue to follow up various lines of investigation including the condition of the road when the crash happened at Belgrave and Lee Bank Middleway, near Edgbaston, at the junction of Bristol Road.

Superintendent Sean Phillips, from West Midlands Police, told a press conference : “It is way too early to speculate on the causes of the accident.

“It will take some time to unpick the scene and just understand exactly what’s happened. It would be unfair for me to speculate at this time.”

He confirmed the road had been gritted at 5pm the previous evening.

The Ambulance Service, which sent five ambulances to the scene, said it was astonishing a man and woman in the first car were able to escape with minor injuries despite “extensive damage” to their vehicle.

Three other cars collided as they tried to avoid the scene at the entrance to the underpass.

Of those people, two were taken to Heartlands Hospital with minor injuries.

The ambulance service said they dealt with 13 patients in total.

Lee Bank Middleway and the adjoining Belgrave Middleway were reopened by police in the early hours of Monday after investigations were concluded at the scene.