Tuesday of the week just gone, there was a fatal accident on the A46 N/B just short of the BP garage at Oversley Mill (Alcester).
It happened at about 0330 when a postal worker, cycling to work, was hit from behind by a truck that failed to stop.The road was closed for most of the day and traffic was diverted through Stratford-Upon-Avon, which caused chaos. Why on earth the traffic was not diverted along the ‘old’ A435, which was the only major route before the A46 was built, I’ll never know.
Late this afternoon, I drove past the scene, where a car had stopped, and two people, a male and a female, were examining the floral tributes that had been laid there. From the body language, the female appeared supportive towards the male who, I presume, was a close relative of the deceased. I sympathise with their loss.
Throughout the Tuesday in question, the ‘Jungle Drums’ suggested that it was an Iveco involved in the accident, so imagine my surprise at about 2100 hrs, when passing on the opposite carriageway, I saw an Iveco artic stopped at the scene.
Was it the driver in question who had stopped to recover something he had dropped? No. Far less sinister, he was laying a bunch of flowers. Although there was blue writing on the cab, I was unable to discern the operator in question. Probably an O/D who uses the route regularly and had seen the precise location in question.
In an age of “Big Trucks”, “Big Ego’s”, it is gratifying to witness a thoughtful act on behalf of the Industry as a whole in spite of the actions of the actual driver involved. So if you were the driver of a white Iveco unit, with a red trailer, and are reading this, then, “My compliments, Sir. Thank you.”
Wednesdays news carried a report that a driver from Leicester had been arrested. Presumably, a sense of guilt initiated a phone call.