Police are naming two teenagers who died when they were hit by a car

Police have released the names of two teenagers who died when a car plowed into a group of people, leaving two other victims with life-threatening injuries.

Liberty Charris, 16, and Ben Corfield, 19, were both pronounced dead at the scene on the A457 Oldbury Road in Oldbury, near Birmingham, on Sunday night.

West Midlands Police said specialist liaison officers are providing support to the families of Liberty and Ben.

A police statement said the families wanted to be allowed to grieve in private and asked people not to speculate on social media about the circumstances of the collision or post images.

Liberty’s family paid tribute saying: “Liberty, our beautiful little girl and our sister.

“So loved by her family and friends, they were all so proud of the beautiful young lady you are becoming.

“With your heart of gold, bright blue eyes and bright smile, your purpose in life was to make everyone happy with your funny accents and loud laugh.

“From the moment you were born we were all so in love with you, you loved life and had an amazing future ahead of you.

“Our hearts are broken to pieces. Shine up there our beautiful girl.”

In a statement issued by the West Midlands force, Ben’s family said: “What can we say, apart from Ben, he was the light of our lives. He was a larger than life character with a huge heart that was made of gold.

“Nothing will ever heal the massive hole in our lives – our hearts are broken forever.

“We have waited so long for Ben to come and complete our family and we feel privileged to have had him as a son and brother for the past 19 years.”

Police believe a blue Nissan Skyline hit a number of pedestrians who were gathered near the intersection with Crystal Drive around 11:30 p.m.

A man and a woman in their 20s were also injured and taken to hospital where they remain in a stable condition.

A 54-year-old man, arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving, was interviewed by investigators. He has been released on bail and continues to assist with inquiries.

Detective Sergeant Paul Hughes, from the region’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: “While our hearts and thoughts are with the families of these young people, our focus remains on establishing the full circumstances of the incident.

“Our investigations will be extensive and thorough and we would like to thank everyone who has already spoken to us and given us information.

“But we know there were a lot of people gathered in the area at the time and we would ask anyone else who has dashcam footage or any other witnesses to contact us.”