Dramatic crash at Weymouth accident hotspot
Onlookers told how a plume of steam rose from the car after the vehicle struck a lamppost. Amazingly, the occupants escaped without serious injury. Police said a man was arrested on suspicion of a driving offence but was subsequently released without charge.
It happened at the corner of Radipole Lane and Field Barn Drive in front in front of Emmanuel Church in Southill. This stretch of Radipole Lane has seen a number of crashes in recent months and it has prompted residents to call for action to make the area safer. The crashed into the lamppost directly outside Emmanuel Church (Image: Supplied)
The Echo had previously reported a crash that took place on the evening of Sunday, December 3 as a car smashed into a brick wall and lamppost[1]. The crash near Emmanuel Church took place in the early hours of the morning on the same day. An eyewitness, who wished to remain anonymous, described how they saw steam rising from what they thought was a burst radiator after waking with their child early on the Sunday morning.
READ: Car crash into parked cars in Southill Saturday night[2] The resident said: “I had just got up with the baby and the car came up Radipole Lane and it had smashed into the lamppost. “They went over and into the lamppost – I think he burst the radiator.”
Speaking generally about traffic in the area, the resident said: “We have seen a lot of near misses but there have never been accidents like there are now. “Someone has to get killed for it to get sorted out. “Ideally, they could put an island in the middle of the road to stop people cutting the corner or speed bumps as they fly up and down the road.”
Sue Molyneux has lived on Radipole Lane for 26 years. She says that ‘speeding is getting worse’ and also recalls a previous incident where a brick wall and sign were hit just metres away from where the latest crash happened.
She said: “It’s terrible up here. The one that hit the wall, I heard it coming. It went so fast it was quite a bad one.”
Local councillor Pete Barrow is pushing for a resolution. He has been in communication with with Dorset Council’s road safety manager and will be taking the matter up with the police commissioner in a meeting next week. He said: “Dorset Council’s road safety manager is working with the police and they are establishing what causes these crashes.
READ: Concerns over speeding along Radipole Lane in Weymouth[3] “But I am not expecting to hear from him until their investigations are complete. “The bottom-line is that something has to be done.
We can’t wait for a child to be taken out – someone getting seriously hurt is in a different league. “We are not going to give up and will not let it lie. We will keep going until Dorset Council and Dorset Police do something about it.”
Dorset Council was contacted for comment by the Echo earlier this week about the issue but we’ve yet to receive a reply. A spokesperson for Dorset Police said: “We received a report at 6.38am on Sunday, December 3 of a single vehicle collision in Radipole Lane in Weymouth. The crash took place on the same day as another crash at the Wessex Roundabout end of Radipole Lane (Image: Supplied)
“It was reported that the vehicle involved had collided with a lamppost.
There were no reports of any serious injuries.
“A 20-year-old local man was arrested on suspicion of a driving offence but was subsequently released without charge.”
References
- ^ The Echo had previously reported a crash that took place on the evening of Sunday, December 3 as a car smashed into a brick wall and lamppost (www.dorsetecho.co.uk)
- ^ Car crash into parked cars in Southill Saturday night (www.dorsetecho.co.uk)
- ^ Concerns over speeding along Radipole Lane in Weymouth (www.dorsetecho.co.uk)