Family devastated after teen Mikeala Stevens killed in New Addington car crash (From Croydon Guardian)

Family devastated after teen Mikeala Stevens killed in New Addington car crash

9:32am Wednesday 1st September 2010 in

• Skip social links
• Print
• Email
• Comments(3)

A teenage girl was killed in a car crash after unwittingly accepting a lift from two suspected joyriders.

Mikeala Stevens, 17, died after she was thrown from the car when it smashed into a telegraph pole at high speed in Overbury Crescent, New Addington.

It dragged the post 20m before hitting a kerb and flipping over, throwing another girl into the central reservation.

She had to be sedated after being found, screaming in agony and remains in hospital .

Witnesses said the car had been speeding along the road with its horn blaring just moments before the smash.

Miss Stevens from Cudham Drive had just returned home after spending an evening with her boyfriend when a friend came by and picked her up at about 3am on Saturday.

The former Addington High School pupil was unaware the car had been taken from her friend’s mother allegedly without permission.

Miss Stevens’ mother Penny Cooke said: “She was so happy on Friday, she had been out with her boyfriend and had only been in the car for about 10 minutes. She looked so beautiful when she went out.

“She had friends everywhere, I just do not know what to do, I have never had to deal with anything like this before.”

Her aunt, Becky Fletcher, said: “She was a happy, bubbly, beautiful girl, she had her problems like all other teenagers but had overcome them and was starting to get on with her life. She has left behind two sisters and a brother that loved her dearly.

“She got in the car with her friend, not knowing it was stolen, and now we have to come to terms with the effects of that.”

A police spokeswoman said a 17-year-old girl had been arrested on suspicion of aggravated vehicle theft, no insurance, failure to provide a specimen of breath and death by dangerous driving.

She has been bailed to return on September 2.

Bob Read, of Homestead Way, rushed out of his house after hearing four loud bangs.

He saw Miss Stevens lying on the pavement and the car she was a passenger in on its side almost 100m down the road.

Mr Read said: “I heard the car speeding up and down the road at exactly 3.15am on Saturday. I know because I looked at the clock.

“It was driving up and down the road beeping its horn.

“When I went outside I saw one girl lying on the grass screaming in agony and another girl lying next to where the telegraph pole had been.

“She must have been thrown out when the car smashed into it, the pole was blasted into smithereens and what was left was dragged halfway down the road.

“The ambulance crew tried and tried and tried to save her, for about 30 minutes but she was already dead.”

A former ambulance driver rushed to where she was lying and tried to help but she died in front of his eyes.

Robert Davies, 66, said: “We are desperately sorry for the family. I did go across to help but there was nothing I could do.”

Mr Davies’ wife, Danielle, 59, called an ambulance after she heard one of the girls screaming for help, she said: “I was sleeping when I heard a huge bang. I looked out of my window and saw a girl lying in the road next to a pushbike and another girl on the grass screaming for help.”

New Addington Councillor, George Ayres, said: “We need speed cameras, traffic calming measures like chicanes and we have done for some time.

“We need traffic slowing measures because a lot of the roads in New Addington are straight, long roads and are favoured by young drivers.

“I have already made recommendations to the Council Community Fund.”

Leave your tributes to Mikeala using the comments feature below.