Heartbroken Family of Aalia Mahomed Seeks Answers Two Months After Fatal Crash Outside King’s College London

The family of Aalia Mahomed, a 20-year-old student killed in a van crash outside King’s College London, say they are still waiting for answers nearly two months after the tragedy.

Aalia, a second-year student studying physics and philosophy, was sitting on a bench in a pedestrianised area on The Strand when a van drove through closed gates and struck her on 18 March 2025. The impact killed her instantly and injured three others.

Her mother, Samira Shafi, described the silence from the Metropolitan Police as agonizing. “These eight weeks have felt like a lifetime,” she told BBC London.

A 26-year-old man was arrested at the scene on suspicion of causing death by careless driving and drug-driving. He was released on police bail as the investigation continues.

A Mother’s Pain

Samira rushed to the scene after receiving a call from Aalia’s friend. “There were blue lights everywhere… it was all cordoned off,” she recalled. Despite arriving within 10 minutes, she was not allowed to reach her daughter.

“I worked out that I was there for nine minutes before Aalia’s death was called. Maybe if she’d heard my voice, she might have pulled through,” she said through tears.

“She Was My Rock”

Describing her daughter as her best friend and rock, Samira says the past two months have been a heartbreaking blur. “We go from denial to the crushing reality,” she said.

Determined to seek justice, Samira added: “It’s the one thing I promised my daughter when I visited her in the coffin.”

Legal Pressure for Timely Justice

The family’s lawyer, Trevor Sterling of Moore Barlow Solicitors, is pushing for speedier investigations in such cases.

“No parent should ever have to bury their child,” Sterling said. “Delays are the enemy of justice.”

He echoed previous discussions with London Mayor Sadiq Khan about creating expedited processes for investigations into fatal incidents involving young people.

Police Response

Chief Superintendent Thomas Naughton from the Met’s Roads and Transport Policing Command said the investigation is progressing with support from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

“We meet with Aalia’s family regularly to ensure they are supported and updated,” he added.

Moving Forward

Samira hopes that answers will soon emerge to help her understand how her daughter’s life was taken so suddenly.

“It won’t bring us comfort,” she said. “But it will give us some sense of what happened that day.”