Azra Kemal Wiki
Azra Kemal Biography
A promising law graduate who fell 30 feet to her death from a space between the roadways while escaping from a burning car had been drinking and was “unsteady on her feet,” according to an investigation.
Azra Kemal was traveling home to London with a friend in the early hours of July 16 when the car they were in burst into flames, forcing them to flee.
The couple were traveling on the A21 near Tonbridge, Kent, when their Ford Focus caught fire around 2.35 a.m.
The couple escaped from the burning Ford Focus and crossed the street to seek help.
Today’s investigation at Maidstone heard that the London School of Economics graduate had been drinking and was “unsteady on her feet.”
While Kemal was trying to cross the street, she is believed to have fallen through a hole in the central reserve and suffered “catastrophic” injuries.
Her mother, Nevres Kemal, spoke at the hearing and asked Highways England to make the road safer to prevent future tragedies.
Azra Kemal suffered ‘catastrophic’ injuries after falling through a gap in the central reservation of the A21, near Tonbridge, last year, while fleeing a burning car +4
Azra Kemal suffered ‘catastrophic’ injuries after falling through a hole in the central reservation of the A21, near Tonbridge, last year, while fleeing a burning car
She told the investigation: ‘My daughter lost her life. May I be the last person to lose their life, or yours, please can you make sure this is reviewed?
Ms. Kemal requested that CCTV, lighting, a barrier and signs be installed at the site, as well as a hard shoulder.
In response, Nicola Bell of Highways England said: ‘Any accident is absolutely tragic and I am sorry for your loss and there are some points you raised today that I will of course remove.’
Friend Omar Allen, who was a passenger in the car, recounted in an earlier hearing what happened on the tragic night.
He said: ‘There were only flames all over the car. We jumped and the flames got bigger. Azra wanted to get her little Louis Vuitton bag but there was smoke and fire inside the car.
“ We were trying to stop the cars, but they weren’t coming our way. Due to the fire, no cars wanted to pass so everyone was piling up.
The promising law graduate’s tearful mother, Nevres Kemal, described her daughter as ‘feisty’ and ‘full of life,’ as she called on Highways England to install CCTV, lighting, a barrier and signs to prevent any further tragedies on the stretch of road
The couple managed to cross the central reservation to try to stop the traffic that continued to head south.
But in a panic, Azra tried to climb another, waist-high barrier to return to the northbound causeway and instead fell through a small gap between the two roads.
Traffic management worker Mr Allen from London added: “He went back across the motorway. So I went to follow her while she loaded the bags.
That’s when I heard her fall. I looked down and couldn’t see her. The screaming continued for so long that I knew they were far away. She was down there yelling at me to come help her.
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The investigation heard that Ms Kemal had been a ‘miracle baby’ after her mother was told that she might not be able to have children.
After earning three A * s at level A, she began training to be a lawyer.
Her mother described her as a ‘tormented soul’ and the investigation heard that her ‘mission’ was to help the less fortunate in her community.
Assistant Coroner Alan Blunsdon concluded that Ms. Kemal died as a result of an accident.
Ms. Kemal’s friend, Omar Allen, previously described the moment when she saw her friend fall between the roadways. He said: his ‘screaming went on for so long that I knew he was way down’ +4
Ms. Kemal’s friend, Omar Allen, previously described the moment when she saw her friend fall between the roadways. He said: his ‘screaming went on for so long I knew he was way down’
He said that he was satisfied that she had consumed alcohol to the level where she was observed to be unsteady on her feet.
He added: “The likely physical impairment caused by alcohol use and the emotional roller coaster Azra experienced that night have likely contributed to the lack of clear judgment.”
This, she said, would have been combined with the darkness and her escape from a burning car, as well as her knowledge that she had just crossed the road safely below.
He also paid tribute to Ms Kemal’s mother, who, he said, had been present under “dire circumstances” both days of the investigation.
accident happened around 2.30am on Thursday on a two span bridge – known as the Medway Viaduct. It has one bridge for south-bound traffic and a separate second bridge for London-bound traffic around 10ft apart
Mr Blunsdon pledged to write to Highways England to see if changes could be made to the location to prevent similar incidents.
Speaking after the inquest, Ms Kemal described her daughter as ‘feisty’ and ‘full of life’ who never tried to deny who she was.
She added: ‘Azra was everything you could possibly imagine.
‘She had frankness and honesty and integrity, which is a gift.’
