A 14-year-old girl died after being hit by a car in a New Year’s Eve collision that led to the arrest of a suspected drug-driver.

The teenager was on Station Road, near Rowley Regis railway station in Sandwell in the West Midlands, at around 4.45pm on Friday when she was struck by a grey Mercedes.

Paramedics attended the scene but she was pronounced dead just before 5.30pm and her family have been notified.

A 39-year-old man was held at the scene and was arrested on suspicion of causing death by driving while under the influence of drugs.

He remained in police custody on New Year’s Day morning.

West Midlands Police are appealing for witnesses who might have seen what happened or seen the grey Mercedes driving prior to the crash.

The force are also urging anyone who might have dash-cam footage showing the incident to get in touch.

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Sergeant Julie Lyman said: “This is a truly awful way to start the New Year and my heart goes out to the girl’s family and friends.

“We’ve started an investigation to understand what happened and the driver has been arrested as we believe he was driving while unfit through drugs.

“The investigation is clearly in the early stages and I would urge people not to speculate online about what happened.

“It’s really not helpful and can be very upsetting for the family.”

Any witnesses can contact West Midlands Police on the live chat function on their website, or can email the serious collision investigation unit at [email protected]

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