Lorry crash in Westbury A350 damaged family houses
A resident has told of how the lorry mounted the pavement for “some distance” before becoming stuck yesterday, July 22.
“I had walked out of my property two minutes earlier. It could have killed me otherwise”, said the Wetbury resident who lives on Fore Street, where the incident happened.
“I was just on the corner of Frogmore Road when I heard this bang. I turned around and saw the lorry jackknifed.
The empty haulage truck had its loading ramp raised, which knocked off one house’s canopy and damaged another.
The resident said the two damaged houses are of two families with young children. One family said young children were in the front room at the time of the crash.
The families were left on the street while their houses were assessed for damage by a structural engineer.
Before crashing, the lorry travelled on the pavement for an estimated 80 feet leaving tyre marks. Ambulance, police and fire crews all attended.
A Wiltshire Police spokesperson said: “We responded to reports that a lorry had collided with a building on Fore Street, Westbury just before 6.30pm yesterday (Monday).
“There were no reported injuries and no arrests made.
A South Western Ambulance Service spokesperson said: “We were called at 18:35hrs on Monday 22 July to an incident in Westbury.
“We sent a double-crewed land ambulance and an operations officer to the scene.”
Wiltshire Police have confirmed there were no injuries, but the resident is worried there could be in the future.
“You’ve got a nursery just down the street. You have parents with small children in prams, elderly people”, they said.
“There are lots of people going up and down the pavement on this road and the traffic is far too fast and the lorries are far too big.”
The resident and others called for a Westbury bypass to be installed.
A public inquiry was held in June 2008 into a proposed eastern bypass, which recommended Wiltshire Council to refuse planning permission.
Members of the White Horse Alliance had objected strongly to the scheme and the scheme’s rejection was endorsed by the Government.
Since then, there have been calls by residents and South West Wiltshire MP Andrew Murrison for a western bypass to relieve traffic passing through the town’s traffic but no plans have been confirmed.