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Published: 13 May, 2010
by TOM FOOT

AN investigation has been launched after a woman was badly injured in an accident involving a council rubbish truck in Queen’s Crescent market.
Lutfa Begum, who lives in nearby Gilden Crescent, was airlifted by helicopter to the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel on Thursday.
Her husband said she was injured as the lorry reversed near the junction of Queen’s Crescent and Malden Road. She was pinned to a parking pay-and-display box, cracking two of her ribs and puncturing a lung, he added.

Contractor Veolia said it would conduct a “full internal investigation” after concerns were raised that the lorry should not have been in Queen’s Crescent on a Thursday – the busy market day when vehicles are banned.
Speaking from her side at home yesterday (Wednesday), husband Aslam Ahmed said his wife was still “frightened” following her “close call”. He added: “I was scared and I am very disappointed. This is a bad thing that has happened. The van should not have been there on market day.”
He added: “The hospital say it will take a long time for her to recover. The GPs have been very good and have come here every day.”

Ms Begum, who was discharged from hospital after two days, was too unwell to speak to the New Journal, but wanted to be photographed alongside her husband.
Mr Ahmed, 68, said the driver attempted a three-point turn after finding the road was blocked off. Queen’s Crescent is closed to traffic between 8am and 6.30pm on Thursdays.

Ms Begum’s son, Mohammed Aziz Ahmed, said: “The hospital said she could have died instantly. She is recovering, but she cannot swallow or sit down. She is in pain and on very heavy painkillers. She is still in shock. What was the van doing there?”
Ms Begum and Mr Ahmed were on their way back from the polling station at Carlton Primary School after voting in the council elections. Joynal Uddin, Labour candidate for Haverstock ward and a friend of Mr Ahmed, said: “There they were exercising their civic duty like good citizens and this is how they are rewarded? What makes it worse is that the CCTV doesn’t appear to have caught the accident – we are spending millions on CCTV and for what?”

A Veolia spokesman said: “We can confirm that one of our refuse collection vehicles was involved in an incident in Queen’s Crescent at around 4.45pm on Thursday. A member of the public was taken to hospital and police attended the scene.
“We take all health and safety issues extremely seriously and will be undertaking our own full internal investigation into this incident.”
A police spokeswoman said Ms Begum’s injuries “were not life threatening”.