Nine dead and nine injured in 17 accidents in just one month

Nine people have died and nine others have been injured in a series of crashes in just one month, Cornwall Police has confirmed. Devon and Cornwall Police said the past month has been one of the deadliest on Cornwall’s roads.

The force specified that between April 1 and May 6, 17 serious collisions occurred in the two counties. As a result of these clashes, nine people lost their lives and nine others suffered serious injuries.

Chief Inspector Simon Jenkinson, of Devon and Cornwall Police’s Road Policing Team, said: “Each of these collisions is a tragedy and will be devastating to the family and friends of those involved. I urge all drivers – whether living locally or visiting on holiday – to adapt their driving to road conditions, keep a safe speed and allow more time to look out for other road users;

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“The last few weeks have been truly tragic and the last thing our officers want to do is knock on doors to tell someone their loved one isn’t coming home. on our roads.”

The warning to drive safely comes as a five-year-old boy died after being hit by a car on the A390 near St Austell. A heartbreaking tribute was later paid when the ‘sweetest little boy’ was called ‘beautiful ray of sunshine’ Dexter Chapman.

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Days later, a man in his 50s died at the scene of a crash on the A38 Glynn Valley and a woman was rushed to hospital in a critical condition. Emergency services, including the air ambulance, attended the scene between Bodmin Parkway station and The Halfway House on Sunday, April 28.

Two days later, two pedestrians suffered serious injuries after being hit by a gray BMW 1 Series in St Ives. Police have now confirmed that one of them has since died, while the other remains in hospital with life-changing injuries following the crash on Trelyon Avenue on Tuesday, April 30.

A man also died in a two-car crash on the A30 near Launceston at around 10.25pm ​​a week ago on Thursday (May 2). Commenting on the recent spate of fatal crashes, Alison Hernandez, the recently re-elected Police and Crime Commissioner for Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly and chair of the Vision Zero South West road safety partnership, said: “Each of these tragic collisions. it will have a devastating impact on the friends and families of those involved.”

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One person also suffered “possible serious injuries” in a crash in Cornwall on the afternoon of Friday 19 April. The A39 at Penryn was closed between the Treluswell roundabout and the Treliever roundabout following the two-vehicle crash.

The crash came two days after two other crashes took place on other stretches of the A39 – one near St Erme, just outside Truro, involving a multi-vehicle collision and another further south on the A39 causing of congestion and heavy traffic during peak hours. The two-vehicle crash at Perranarworthal has caused hours of delays for motorists.

Ms Hernandez added: “Through Vision Zero South West, we are working hard with our partners to reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries on our roads and end this senseless and avoidable loss of life. Consequently, road safety remains one of my top priorities as I begin a new mandate.

“All road users can play a part in creating a safer road network and for the sake of our families and friends we all have an interest in doing so. For this reason, I would call on all road users to take extra care, allow more time for journeys and be especially aware of the most vulnerable on our roads, such as cyclists, horse riders, pedestrians and motorcyclists. “

For general road safety advice visit the dedicated page on the force’s website: https://www.devon-cornwall.police.uk/fatalfive