Man who died in A64 York crash was due to appear in court

Police named the man who died as 43-year-old Scott Proudlock following a crash which closed part of the busy A64 road for several hours. The collision between a van and an HGV happened at about 2.50am on Monday (October 20) on the stretch of A64 passing York Racecourse. And North Yorkshire Police said it involved a white Ford Transit Connect van which collided with a stationary Volvo HGV which was parked in a layby at the side of the road.

Mr Proudlock, from near Malton, was the driver of the Transit van and died at the scene. He was due to appear at York Crown Court this morning for trial charged with three counts of assaulting a girl under 13 by touching and making indecent photos of a child. The case was adjourned after news of his death reached the court and it was adjourned to Friday, December 5 for the judge to receive official confirmation.

Speaking about the crash, North Yorkshire Police say the HGV driver was uninjured and is assisting police officers with their enquiries. The A64 was initially closed in both directions but the westbound carriageway re-opened at 7.15am. The eastbound carriageway remained closed to allow for collision investigation work and recovery to take place.

It was then opened again at 11.15am. North Yorkshire Police put out a traffic alert at the time and a spokesman subsequently said the driver of the van has died. And a force spokesman said first thing on Monday morning: "Please be aware there is a full road closure on the A64 between the A19 junction westbound and the A1064 junction eastbound whilst we deal with a collision.

"Please avoid the area if you can, and use alternative routes where possible while emergency services work at the scene. Otherwise, there are diversions in place so please follow these. "Thank you for your understanding."

National Highways said drivers travelling eastbound were advised to follow a diversion via the the A64 at Askham Bryan. Yorkshire Ambulance Service said they received an emergency call at 3.11am to report a collision on the A64 between the A1036 and A19 and two ambulances attended the scene. A police spokesperson has now said: "We are now appealing for any witnesses to the collision, anyone who may have seen the transit van prior to the collision, or anyone with relevant dashcam footage, to contact us.

"If you can help, please email [email protected][1] .

Alternatively, you can call North Yorkshire Police on 101 and ask for Chris Garbutt.

"Please quote reference 12250198149 when passing on information."

References

1. ^ [email protected] (www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk)