Park Royal Tube track crash: Driver jailed for killing woman

A driver has been jailed for causing death by dangerous driving following a horror crash which saw a Range Rover left crumpled on Tube tracks in west London.

Yagmur Ozden, 33, died after the car hit a Tesla parked in a dealership by Park Royal station and ended up on the line on August 22 2022.

Baghdad-born Ms Ozden, who worked as a beautician, leaves a 13-year-old daughter, who now lives with her grandmother in north London.

Another passenger, Zamarod Arif, who was 26 at the time, was critically hurt in the incident.

Rida Kazem, 24, of Costons Avenue, Greenford was sentenced to seven-and-a-half years’ imprisonment at Isleworth Crown Court on Wednesday May 17 following a guilty plea.

He was also disqualified from driving for 12 years.

The court heard Kazem was driving a car involved in a fatal road traffic collision on the westbound A40 near to Park Royal Underground Station at 3:48am.

He was parked in a Range Rover outside a premise on Johnsons Way, Willesden when he picked up two women from the venue, before driving along Coronation Road.

Kazem had driven onto the A40, before he approached a set of red traffic lights and came to a stop. It was at this point that the lights turned green and Kazem accelerated away at considerable speed, reaching approximately 110mph; over twice the speed limit.

Kazem continued to drive the vehicle at speed, underestimating the slight bend in the road, which caused the vehicle to collide with the kerb. Due to the high speed impact, one of the back wheels came away from the vehicle, while the car continued to roll at speed towards a Tesla car park.

The vehicle then smashed into a stationary Tesla, with the driver, a man aged in his 50s, sat inside. The vehicle then flipped over a wall at speed and finally came to rest on the railway tracks of Park Royal Tube Station.

Despite the efforts of emergency services Ms Ozden died at the scene.

Kazem was taken to hospital, where his injuries were originally assessed as critical. He has since made a full recovery. He refused to give a blood sample, after being requested to do so by police.

Kazem had two previous speeding offences with his most recent offence involving him travelling at 95mph in 50mph road for which he received a disqualification from the court. This driving ban ended in June 2022 just months prior to this fatal collision in August 2022.

Det Con Benjamin Simpson, from the Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: "Our thoughts remain with Yagmur’s family and friends who have experienced the most tragic loss.

“CCTV footage recovered from the local area clearly shows Kazem travelling at excessive speed, and losing control of his car.

“His guilty plea was an acknowledgement that he should have known better, but this does not mitigate what he did.

"The driving he displayed in this incident was both deliberate and selfish with no regard for the public and has ultimately resulted in life changing injuries and the loss of Yagmur’s life.

"I fully understand the family’s frustration with the length of sentence handed down today. I hope that other motorists will reflect on this case and recognise that what they do behind the wheel can have tragic consequences.”