Leicester mum's skull broken as car crashes into home

The family of a woman left with a broken skull when a concrete block hit her as a car crashed into her home have called for traffic-calming measures.

The 34-year-old was sleeping downstairs with her husband and two children when a Mercedes A Class hit a parked car and their home in Hungarton Boulevard, Leicester on 18 April.

Residents say there have been several crashes on this road to the city.

Police said a woman, 21, was arrested on suspicion of drink-driving.

The woman, from Rothley, was later released under investigation, Leicestershire Police said.

The woman's skull was broken into three pieces after a car ploughed into her home at 00:47 on 18 April

Rashid Thathyala, brother-in-law of the injured woman, who does not want to be named, said she had emergency surgery after suffering a bleed on her brain.

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Her husband and children, aged three and two, sustained minor injuries.

The woman is recovering with relatives and the family cannot return home until it is structurally safe, and they can pay for the repairs.

The woman was left with "injuries all over her body"

Mr Thathyala said: "When the impact happened it broke the whole wall and a big concrete block flew and hit her.

"She had injuries all over the body but the main injury was the broken skull.

"Her skull was broken into three pieces. They used plates and screws to put it back together and now she is recovering."

Rashid Thathyala said it would be "a long road of recovery" for his sister-in-law

He added the family had been sleeping downstairs to be closer to the kitchen during Ramadan when they were only eating after sunset and before dawn.

He said: "This has been traumatic for them. This is going to be a long road of recovery for her. According to the doctors she will have some complications but we don't know what that will be yet.

"She's so lucky to be alive. They were sleeping peacefully and all of a sudden their lives are shattered."

Residents blame the crashes on a sharp bend on Hungarton Boulevard, which forms part of Leicester's ring road

Mr Thathyala said: "A neighbour told me this happened to the same house a few years ago. Exactly the same situation, same house.

"This is a busy road and at night - when it is quiet people speed down here.

"This is not safe for anybody. There needs to be some safety measures."

Resident Moira Hampton said: "This may be the eighth time or more this bend on the ring road has contributed to damaging properties.

The family are living with relatives until they can return home

"Cars have driven off both sides of the road. This is the first time such a serious injury has happened.

"Residents, including me, are furious and terrified that somebody will be hurt again, or even killed."

Claudia Webbe, Independent MP for Leicester East, said: "The fact you are inside your own home and you are not safe means that this road is too dangerous and it needs to be made safer."

PC David Brown, from Leicestershire Police, is asking anyone with information about the collision to get in touch.

'Careful consideration'

Leicester City Council said it was "very concerned" about the incident and hoped the victims were recovering well.

A spokeswoman said: "It's too early to say what caused the vehicle to leave the road, and whether speed was a factor, but we note residents' concerns about the danger presented by speeding vehicles.

"Once the police investigation is concluded, and the cause of the accident is determined, we will review with them the past accident history for this road. We can then look at how we could reasonably take steps to prevent future incidents.

"This will need careful consideration, bearing in mind Hungarton Boulevard's strategic role as part of the outer ring road."