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Residents demand action over death crash road
Neighbours on a "deadly" Lancashire road where a man died in a head-on smash, have told how they had been warning for years that someone would be killed.
Damian Ryan, 31, died in Preston Road, Grimsargh, near Preston, on Sunday night, after a collision with a Subaru Impreza.
His blue Ford Focus had already flipped onto its side following a collision with a black Ford Focus minutes earlier.
Mr Ryan, from Bamber Bridge, near Preston, had managed to right his car before driving off but then collided head-on with the Impreza, causing his Focus to burst into flames.
The 38-year-old male Impreza driver, from Fulwood in Preston, is fighting for his life in intensive care at the Royal Preston Hospital.
Eye-witnesses told of the horrific moments following the crash – and demanded action finally be taken on the stretch which has seen scores of accidents in recent years.
Anthony Ball, 44, who has lived in Preston Road for 20 years, said the accident happened on a bend outside his home where the speed limit suddenly drops from 50mph to 30mph.
He said: "I heard nothing –there was no sound but I saw some commotion so I went outside and one of the cars looked like it was catching fire.
"Someone was shouting we needed something to put out the fire so I ran inside to get a bucket of water. That put the fire out and then I noticed the man inside.
"There were no physical injuries but you could tell he was dead. That image will stay with me for some time."
A nurse who saw the accident went to the aid of the Subaru driver and reportedly covered the injured man's leg.
Mr Ball added: "It is a blackspot here – it is well known – but people have been walking away from accidents so they don't count them as serious. It is only a matter of time before someone mows down a child walking back from the school."
He reeled off a list of accidents outside his home in the past two years, including a car ploughing into his home 18 months ago, two which have smashed into a hedge at the side of his house and cars hitting trees and lampposts.
He said residents demanded action at a Police and Communities Together meeting six months ago.
Resident Ann Small has also been campaigning for better road safety measures on Preston Road. She spearheaded a petition and even hand-delivered a letter to Gordon Brown about the issue.
There were 31 accidents and 57 people injured on the road between 2002 and 2007, according to statistics.
Mrs Small said: "They don't realise there's a bend. One man had to put a porch on his house after two HGVs hit it. A bloke further down had his wall demolished."
The 48-year-old driver of the black Ford Focus, from Longridge, near Preston, was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.
He was released on bail until October 21.
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Weather for Preston
Wednesday 08 February 2012
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