Petition launched after man dies after crash in Darwen
On Monday (December 9), a man died after a crash involving a lorry on the A666 Bolton Road. Samantha Nye said the junction on Bolton Road, where the crash took place, is dangerous adding that she has witnessed "countless near-miss incidents" due to the lack of clear traffic signals. The council said it is working closely with the police in their investigations.
Samantha, founder of Darwen Community Helpers, has launched a petition urging the council to make the junction safer. Samantha said: "I think this incident has impacted the whole town. I didn't see the accident but saw the aftermath of it, but you could feel the sadness.
"I can't even begin to fathom the heartbreak that his family must be enduring, nor what the driver is experiencing. It's a painful reminder of how fragile life can be. "There has been an accident waiting to happen [at that junction] for a long time and now an innocent life has been taken.
I don't want this to happen to anyone else." 
This particular crossing has always felt dangerous to me. I've had close calls there myself, and it's unsettling to think that others are at risk too. "It was an unnecessary accident and the council needs to do something urgently to prevent somebody else's life being taken."
Samantha said she launched the petition to start a conversation about the junction and to encourage the council to make changes. At the time of writing, 390 people have signed it. Samantha said: "Since I started the petition there have been a lot of conversations about those lights.
"We want the council to know we are not going to forget about this until the issue is resolved. "The support has been amazing. We have had nearly 400 signatures in less than 72 hours, which shows how many people want something done and get this issue rectified."
When asked about the petition, a council spokesperson said it is working with the police but did not mention anything about making changes to the junction. A spokesperson for Blackburn with Darwen Council said: "First and foremost, our thoughts are very much with the family and friends of this gentleman. Our deepest condolences are with them at this sad time.
"We are working closely with the police on their investigations and will continue to support them in any way we can." The man was hit by the DAF vehicle on the A666 Bolton Road, just before 10.50am on Monday. [1] 
The road, near the junctions with Church Street and Green Street, was closed for several hours while investigations were carried out. Emergency services, including police, ambulance and fire service, were scrambled to the scene. An air ambulance was seen landing at Darwen Aldridge Community Academy, close to the site of the crash.
Police confirmed that no-one has been arrested. The victim's family is also yet to release an official statement or tribute. Officers are appealing for witnesses to the collision and for anyone who has dashcam footage from the area around the time it happened to get in touch with police.
Please contact 101, quoting log 0367 of December 9, or email the Serious Collision Investigation Unit at [email protected].
References
- ^ The man was hit by the DAF vehicle on the A666 Bolton Road, just before 10.50am on Monday. (www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk)