Teenager cheats death (From Stroud News and Journal)

Teenager cheats death

A TEENAGE driver cheated death when his car flipped over on a stretch of road which has seen more than 40 accidents in the past fifteen months.

Jay Waller, 19 amazingly managed to clamber out of his crushed Nissan Primera and walk away from the mangled vehicle with barley a scratch after the accident which happened on Frocester Hill.

"I'm lucky to be alive," Mr Waller from Eastington told the SNJ. Mr Waller was driving up the hill on Tuesday, January 14 when he ran into problems.

"The back-end of my car slid out while travelling even though I was well within the speed limit," said Mr Waller.

Only sharp thinking in a tense situation saved him from a certain death.

" My car went up a bank and turned over backwards into the air, finally landing on its roof on the other side of the road, narrowly avoiding a collision with an approaching lorry," said Mr Waller.

"It happened really quickly but I covered my head and crouched down.

"If I had had a passenger with me I am certain they would have been killed."

Jay's cries for help were heard by the lorry driver and passing motorists who smashed the car window so he could wriggle out. Now Mr Waller would like to see something done about the road as he believes it is a danger to other road users.

"At least two other vehicles went into skids when they saw the accident and had to slow down," he said.

Farmer Dave Holpin from Frocester also said the surface was dangerous. "I own a livery yard and my horses have slipped on the road on numerous occasions," he said.

"That surface also encourages speed and if anyone was travelling at 45 miles an hour and brakeed they would be all over the place."

Mr Holpin said he thought the old surface which was replaced was better because it was made up of grit, granite chipping and tar spray and provided a better grip.

"The current surface seems to soak up moisture and hold it for a longer period then other road surfaces.

"I admit the pothole problems along the edge of the road improved dramatically when the new surface was put down but my concern is that one day a member of my family will be involved in an accident there."

Mr Holpin said there had been 43 accidents in the past 15 months.

However, John Roberts from the county highways said: "There have been a number of accidents but I would not like to say there have been as many as that without checking our data base.

"Frocester Hill is not an easy road to drive as it is steep with sharp bends and the smoother surface has encouraged people to drive faster. We would encourage people to watch their speed."

But Mr Holpin added: "We have tested the service and the skid resistance comes up to specification but we are keeping an observation on the road."