Photo via Daily Mail

Pictured: Pupil, 16, who was run over by Addison Lee taxi while on her way to £31,000-a-year Highgate School

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Cite

Haining, J. (2026, September 25). Pictured: Pupil, 16, who was run over by Addison Lee taxi while on her way to £31,000-a-year Highgate School. Daily Mail. https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16161001/Pictured-Pupil-16-run-Addison-Lee-taxi-way-31-000-year-Highgate-School.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

Daily Mail · collected 2026-09-25 · by Joshua Haining

Quick Summary

A 16-year-old student named Melissa Premaratne was killed when she was hit by an Addison Lee taxi while walking to Highgate School, a private institution that costs £31,000 per year. The incident occurred near North Road in Highgate on the morning of the reported day. A 68-year-old driver was arrested at the scene and later released on bail pending further investigation.
Written by AI on 2026-10-02, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

On November 14, a 16-year-old student named Melissa Premaratne was killed after being hit by an Addison Lee taxi outside Highgate School in London. The incident occurred as she was walking across North Road near the school, which charges up to £31,000 annually for tuition. Emergency services, including the London Ambulance Service and London Fire Brigade, responded but were unable to save Melissa's life.

The suspect driver, a 68-year-old man, was arrested at the scene on suspicion of causing death by careless driving and later released on bail pending further investigation. In a heartfelt tribute, her family described Melissa as an "amazing person" with a kind heart and beautiful spirit that will remain in their hearts forever.

Detective Inspector Simon Ager said the police are still investigating the incident and have appealed to anyone with information or footage from nearby cameras to come forward. The case highlights the tragic consequences of road accidents near educational institutions.

Written for “Schoolgirl Killed By Taxi” on 2026-10-30, grounded in this article and the 2 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Schoolgirl Killed By Taxi
Crime & Law · 3 article(s) covering the same event. See how they differ ↓

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 0% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Evening Standard
Hedges 1 of 21 claims Outlet record 65/100
Evening Standard
Hedges 0 of 16 claims Outlet record 65/100
Evening Standard
Hedges 0 of 14 claims Outlet record 65/100
“While both articles discuss the death of Melissa Premaratne from a car accident near Highgate School, Article A reports on the incident and its immediate aftermath, while Article B covers a fundraising appeal that was launched after the event.”
Evening Standard
Hedges 0 of 14 claims Outlet record 65/100
“While both articles describe the tragic death of Melissa Premaratne from a car accident near Highgate School, Article A focuses on the incident itself, whereas Article B reports on a fundraising appeal for her family weeks after the event.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
27
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
0%
0 of 27 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
68/100
Daily Mail's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
3
Crime & Law
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-25 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Daily Mail · 8421 article(s) · 20 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 20 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Joshua Haining
45 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 The magical property on Goodwin's Court in Covent Garden, London, has a rich history having been built after the Great Fire of London more than three centuries ago. Tucked away on a cobbled court, the two-bedroom house is rumoured to have been the inspiration behind the wizarding world's famous Diagon Alley. Sellers, the Unique Property Company, claim the alleyway could have also sparked the idea for Ollivanders wand shop and the more sinister Knockturn Alley.
🔮 If you witnessed the collision or have any dashcam or other footage which could help the police investigation, please call 101, quoting reference 5226347807.
🔮 The increase will put pressure on the Chancellor, John Healey, to prevent families from falling into more debt ahead of his maiden budget on October 28.
🔮 Mr Burnham is considering a variety of options to cosy up to Brussels which could include rejoining the EU and the single market.
🔮 House-to-house enquiries were also conducted by officers in the surrounding area while a heavy police presence remained in place. Members of the public who may have seen something have been urged to come forward and provide any information to the police.
🔮 The smoldering Kehlsteinhaus on the Obersalzberg near Berchtesgaden, which was severely damaged by a fire The mountain guesthouse Kehlsteinhaus, known as the Eagle's Nest, formerly Adolf Hitler's mountain retreat, ablaze early October 24, 2026 The charred remains of the residence atop the snow covered mountain on October 24 Despite this they will still be investigating for potential political motives given the building's controversial history. There are no current indications that anyone other than the suspect arrested was involved, police said.
🔮 Burton, Mawby and Devine, who are from County Durham and Stockton-on-Tees, have been ordered to appear at Teesside Magistrates' Court, while Khan, from Birmingham, will appear at Birmingham Magistrates' Court on Saturday.
🔮 Teachers could be permitted to work four-day weeks giving schools more flexible working hours, according to government plans.
🔮 A world-wide shutdown of the trial followed while experts worked to understand the situation and Mrs Hoyle's case. But after her condition improved, the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (VDPS) ruled she would not receive compensation because she was not deemed to be 60 per cent disabled.
🔮 Wendy Worth, 62, spent her inheritance on a Coronary Angioplasty at Gloucester Royal Hospital on July 22 in fear that her heart would not last until she received the letter from the NHS. But only three days after she had the stent fitted in her left ventricle, the second-class letter dated July 9 arrived saying she could receive the same surgery for free on August 3.
Also by Joshua Haining
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 45 articles by Joshua Haining →

Topics

Addison Lee Daily Mail Mercedes Vito the London Ambulance Service

Subjects

Melissa PERSON · 4× Addison Lee ORG · 3× Air Ambulance ORG · 2× Highgate GPE · 2× London GPE · 2× Melissa Premaratne PERSON · 2× Daily Mail ORG · 1× London Fire Brigade ORG · 1× Mercedes PERSON · 1× the London Ambulance Service ORG · 1×

Narrative

Melissa Premaratne, 16, was killed after she was hit by an Addison Lee taxi while on her way to school Officers at the scene near Highgate School on North Road, Highgate, this morning A spokesman for private hire group Addison Lee – which provides chauffeured cars, minibuses and couriers – said the vehicle belonged to the company.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-25
🔮 In tribute to her, Melissa's family said: 'Melissa was a light in our lives and an amazing person. 'We will miss her deeply, every single day.

Claims (27 extracted, 0 hedged)

A 16-year-old pupil who was killed after being hit by a taxi outside a £31,000-a-year private school has been pictured as her heartbroken family pay tribute. asserted
family → kill → tribute
Melissa Premaratne was hit by an Addison Lee taxi while walking across the street near Highgate School yesterday morning. asserted
Premaratne → hit → School
She became stuck under the black Mercedes Vito people carrier, with firefighters forced to lift the vehicle with specialist equipment to free the girl, witnesses reported. asserted
witnesses → become → girl
Emergency crews, including the London Ambulance Service, London Fire Brigade and London’s Air Ambulance, all rushed to the scene. asserted
crews → include → scene
However, she was pronounced dead at the scene. asserted
she → pronounce → scene
In tribute to her, Melissa's family said: 'Melissa was a light in our lives and an amazing person. 'We will miss her deeply, every single day. asserted
We → miss → her
Her kindness, warmth, and beautiful spirit will always remain in our hearts.' A 68-year-old man was arrested at the scene on suspicion of causing death by careless driving and has since been released on bail while enquiries continue. asserted
enquiries → remain → bail
Detective Inspector Simon Ager said: 'Our thoughts remain with Melissa's family following her tragic death. asserted
thoughts → say → death
The loss of a young life in such circumstances is truly devastating, and we recognise the profound impact this will have on all those who knew and loved her. asserted
who → recognise → her
'Specialist officers continue to support Melissa's family, and we would ask that their privacy is respected at this incredibly difficult time. asserted
privacy → continue → time
'Our investigation remains ongoing and we are working to establish exactly what happened. asserted
what → remain → ?
We are particularly keen to hear from anyone who witnessed the collision or has any dashcam, CCTV or mobile phone footage from the area at around the time it occurred.' asserted
it → hear → time
Melissa Premaratne, 16, was killed after she was hit by an Addison Lee taxi while on her way to school Officers at the scene near Highgate School on North Road, Highgate, this morning A spokesman for private hire group Addison Lee – which provides chauffeured cars, minibuses and couriers – said the vehicle belonged to the company. asserted
vehicle → kill → company
'We are aware of a serious incident that took place today involving one of our vehicles and pedestrians at approximately 8.30am in the Highgate vicinity,' he said. asserted
he → take → vicinity
'Our thoughts are with those people affected. asserted
thoughts → affect → people
'Due to its nature, the incident response is being led and managed by the police, and we are supporting them in their investigation. asserted
we → lead → investigation
'As the facts are yet to be determined, we are unable to comment further at this stage.' A spokesman from Highgate School said the news of the girl's death 'has come as a terrible shock to everyone at Highgate'. asserted
news → determine → Highgate
They added: 'It is with deep sadness that we share the news that one of our Y12 pupils died today on the way to school in a road traffic incident. ' asserted
one → add → incident
Out of respect for the family's privacy, no further details will be shared at this time. asserted
details → share → time
We thank you for your understanding and compassion. asserted
We → thank → understanding
'The loss of such a young life, so full of promise and hope, is deeply heartbreaking, and we extend our sincere and heartfelt condolences to her family, friends and all those affected by this awful news. asserted
we → extend → news
She will be greatly missed, and we will continue to support her family, our pupils and staff, and the wider community, as we mourn her loss.' asserted
we → miss → loss
A London Ambulance Service spokesman said: 'We were called at 8:11am today (24 September) to reports of a road traffic collision on North Road, Highgate, N6. asserted
We → say → Road
We sent an ambulance crew, paramedics in fast response cars, an incident response officer, a motorcycle responder and an advanced paramedic. asserted
We → send → cars
We also dispatched London's Air Ambulance. asserted
We → dispatch → Ambulance
We treated a teenager, but very sadly, despite our best efforts, she died at the scene.' asserted
she → treat → scene
Anyone with information has been urged to call 101 quoting CAD1525/24Sept. asserted
Anyone → urge → CAD1525/24Sept
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