Safety call after pedestrian killed in A64 accident

A woman was struck by a BMW car on the eastbound carriageway near Bilbrough Top, between York and Tadcaster, on Monday evening.

North Yorkshire Police said the woman, thought to be in her 40s, suffered fatal injuries and was taken to York Hospital, where she was pronounced dead, while the car driver was uninjured.

The road was blocked for almost six hours.

A man, who did not want to be named, told The Press he was getting fuel at a Bilbrough Top garage when a woman came running over to him, saying she had hit something.

He said he found a woman lying on a verge, and was unable to find a pulse.

“It looks to me like she was crossing the road towards the garage and was wearing dark clothing,” he said.

He said the driver went into the garage in an hysterical state, and he saw her car’s bumper had come off.

He said: “I can’t believe there are no lights on the road when cars are doing 70mph.”

The Press understands the pedestrian, who is the sixth person to die on a stretch of the road around Bilbrough Top since 2006, may have been returning home after a job interview at a local business when the accident happened.

Local district councillor Richard Musgrave said yesterday he had contacted Selby and Ainsty MP Nigel Adams to call for a full review of safety along the stretch, saying the number of accidents indicated something was wrong.

He said: “The review should look at the problem, the cause of the problem and possible measures to make it safer.

“Options might include overhead lighting, a new footbridge or a speed reduction, similar to a 50mph limit imposed on a stretch of the A1 in Nottinghamshire.”

He added that he had already been concerned about the dangers caused by short slip roads between the dual carriageway and local farms and businesses before Monday’s accident.

Local resident and former councillor Brian Percival said he believed a footbridge should be installed at the location where people crossed to catch buses to York and Leeds, some half a mile along the dual carriageway from the Bilbrough Top flyover.

A Highways Agency spokesperson said it could not comment on the accident until police had completed their investigation, adding: “Our thoughts are with the family and friends affected.”

Traffic Sergeant Yvonne Taylor of North Yorkshire Police appealed for anyone who was travelling on the A64 at about the time of the collision and saw either the pedestrian or the BMW to contact police by phoning 101, selecting option 2 and asking for Martin Smith, or emailing martin.smith@northyorkshire.pnn.police.uk, quoting reference number 12130196304.

Victim’s fiancée joins lights plea

MONDAY’S fatal accident has prompted a York woman whose fiancé died in a crash on the A64 five years ago to make a fresh plea for overhead lighting.

John Wigglesworth was driving to Helen Benson’s home in the early hours one day in January 2008 when his car came off the A64 and crashed into a tree.

The tragedy led Helen and John’s sister, Jess, to start a campaign on Facebook for the A64 to be fully lit, saying they could not bear to see other families having to go through the same heartache.

Helen said yesterday the dual carriageway was still clearly treacherous at night and lighting would improve safety for both motorists and pedestrians.