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Accident kills Lankan mother in Birmingham

05 Oct 2013 - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

A mother-of-five was killed in a hit-and-run crash as she cycled to work in Birmingham on Friday morning. Muthumanaka Pinhamy, known as Manaka, died in hospital after colliding with a lorry near her home at 6.45am.

The Sri Lankan-born 55-year-old suffered multiple injuries in the smash, which happened at the junction of Speedwell Road and Brickfield Road, Hay Mills.
Friends said Mrs Pinhamy’s husband and children still lived in Sri Lanka.

They described the clothing factory worker as a pillar of Birmingham’s Buddhist community. Colleague and close friend Lasanthi Farnando, 30, said: “In the Sri Lankan community she was like a mother to everybody.

“She was helpful to friends and to the temple. “She was always smiling. To me she was like a mother. “It’s really sad. I can’t accept she is dead.”
Lasanthi said a colleague was sent to look for Mrs Pinhamy, of Hay Road, Hay Mills, when she failed to turn up for work on Friday morning.

A popular member of the Jethavana Buddhist Vihara in Handsworth, Mrs Pinhamy, who was described as happy and helpful, moved to the UK around six years ago from the Netherlands. Her friends gathered at her home as news of the tragedy emerged.

Ven. K Gunawansa Therro, chief abbot at Mrs Pinhamy’s temple, said: “She was a good devotee of the temple, she was very pious.”
He said she would provide monks from the temple with clothes in winter.

Another friend said Mrs Pinhamy was a careful cyclist who would always wear high-visibility clothing and a helmet when riding her bike.
West Midlands Police initially appealed for witnesses after revealing the driver involved in the accident failed to stop at the scene.
The force later revealed officers had found a vehicle believed to have been involved.

It said the driver had been identified and would be questioned “in due course”.

Sgt Neil Higgins said: “It would appear that several people may have stopped at the scene at the time or shortly after the collision, but left prior to police attendance. “Anyone with any information that may help us with our investigation is urged to come forward.” (Birmingham Mail)

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Accident kills Lankan mother in Birmingham

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