MP and loved ones pay tribute to Soho Road crash victim

Hizar Hanif was due to be the best man at his friend's wedding

Tributes have been paid to a man who was killed when a driver careered into his stationary vehicle on a busy Birmingham road.

The victim, named locally as Hizar Hanif, was in his 30s.

"Our community mourns the tragic loss of Hizar Hanif," Khalid Mahmood, the MP for Perry Barr said in a statement.

Mr Hanif was killed and one person was injured when an Audi driver hit a number of cars in Soho Road on Sunday.

"My deepest condolences go out to his family and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time," Mr Mahmood said in his statement.

"As we await the outcome of the investigation, let us come together as a community to support one another in the face of this heart-breaking loss."

An Audi driver crashed into a number of cars in Soho Rd on Sunday.

Mr Hanif was due to be best man at a wedding this week and was the groom's best friend, Isha Weddings Event, a Birmingham-based company, told the BBC.

The company said it had been hired to organise a pre-wedding event on Monday but this had been cancelled due to the crash.

They did not know if the wedding was still going ahead.

Mr Hanif worked at Checkpoint Tyres, a tyre dealer and repair garage with branches in Birmingham and Wolverhampton, according to several tributes to him posted on social media.

Both branches posted on Facebook on Tuesday they were closed due to a family bereavement.

"Hiza Hanif was my eldest brother. The best brother one could ask for," a separate Facebook post by the Wolverhampton branch of the business said.

"Let my brother's death be a lesson to all drivers on [the] road that speed kills and takes away innocent precious lives which can never be replaced."

Man arrested

The post added Hanif had a wife and four-year-old son.

"Losing you so suddenly and in a horrific way… it's not fair," a Facebook post by the business' Birmingham branch said.

The BBC contacted Checkpoint Tyres but they declined to comment further.

West Midlands Police arrested a 25-year-old man on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving soon after the crash.

The force said he had been released under investigation while inquiries continued.

A woman from another vehicle who suffered back injuries remained in hospital, police said.

In a statement on Monday, the force said two people apart from the man who died were taken to hospital to be treated for injuries.

Police have since said that the Audi driver was taken to hospital, but was found not to need treatment.