His parents had barely had time to learn the shape of his face.
Ciaran Leigh Morris had been alive for exactly two weeks when he was killed on Easter Sunday afternoon, his pram struck by a BMW on a pavement in Brownhills, Walsall. He was being pushed along High Street by his family at around four o'clock when the car mounted the pavement and hit him. He was rushed to hospital, but there was nothing doctors could do.
West Midlands Police believe the BMW had already been involved in a collision with another vehicle before it struck the pram. The sequence of events — one crash leading to another, the second one fatal — is now the focus of a serious collision investigation. A 34-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and remained in custody as of Monday afternoon.
Ciaran's parents released a statement that was brief and devastating in equal measure. They said their hearts would always ache, that they loved him more than anything. They acknowledged they hadn't been given long with him, but said they were grateful for the chance to meet him, to look after him, to call him their son. They asked him to fly high.
Sergeant Mark Crozier, from the force's serious collision investigation unit, said the death had left officers numb. He noted that witnessing the loss of someone so young is hard even for those trained to attend such scenes, but that the grief carried by Ciaran's family is of an entirely different order. He pledged that the unit would do everything it could to support the family while working to piece together exactly what happened in the moments before the crash.
By the following day, dozens of floral tributes had been laid at the spot on High Street where Ciaran died. The pavement where a family had been walking in the Easter afternoon sun had become a makeshift memorial.
The investigation is still in its early stages. A passenger from the BMW and the occupants of the other car involved in the initial collision are cooperating with police. But investigators are appealing for anyone who was in the area — before or at the moment of impact — to come forward, particularly those who may have captured anything on dashcam footage. West Midlands Police can be contacted by email or by calling 101.
Ciaran Morris was two weeks old. His parents had barely had time to learn the shape of his face.
Notable Quotes
Mommy's and Daddy's hearts will always ache, we love you more than anything. We didn't get to keep you for long but we are happy we had the chance to meet you, look after you and call you our son.— Ciaran's parents, in a tribute statement
We've all been left numb by the sad death of Ciaran. To see the loss of someone so young is difficult for us as officers, but we know the pain is even greater for Ciaran's family.— Sergeant Mark Crozier, West Midlands Police serious collision investigation unit
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
What strikes you most about this story?
The timing. Two weeks. His parents had only just begun.
The BMW had already been in one crash before it hit the pram. Does that change how we understand what happened?
It suggests a chain of events — something went wrong before the worst thing happened. Whether that's recklessness or something else is what the investigation has to determine.
The parents' statement is very short. Is that significant?
Grief that size often doesn't have many words. What they said was precise and complete. They were grateful they got to meet him at all. That's a particular kind of heartbreak.
Sergeant Crozier said the death left officers numb. Is that unusual language from a police statement?
It is. Police statements tend toward the procedural. Saying 'numb' is an admission that professional distance has its limits.
What does the appeal for dashcam footage tell us about where the investigation stands?
It tells us the full picture isn't assembled yet. They have a suspect in custody, but they're still trying to reconstruct the sequence — what happened before the first collision, and how it led to the second.
Dozens of flowers were left at the scene. What does that gesture mean in a case like this?
It's a community saying: we know something terrible happened here, and we won't just walk past it. The pavement becomes a place that has to be acknowledged.
What should readers be watching for as this develops?
Whether charges are formally brought, and what the investigation reveals about the moments before the BMW left the road. The family will be waiting for those answers too.