Barrow woman hit by post van
Last updated at 16:30, Wednesday, 20 March 2013
A PEDESTRIAN suffered a suspected broken leg after she was struck by a runaway Royal Mail van in Barrow yesterday afternoon.
The driver-less van is believed to have rolled about 130 metres backwards down Oxford Street before ploughing into the 45-year-old local woman.
Police officers and ambulance crews were called to the scene at 2.05pm and the woman was rushed to Furness General Hospital for treatment.
Witnesses spoken to by the Evening Mail said the freak chain of events began when the van pulled up outside the Oxford Street Post Office.
Once the driver exited the vehicle it started to roll down the street, gaining pace as it passed through the junctions with Essex, Cheltenham and Bedford streets.
At some point the van appears to have jumped the kerb and collided with the female pedestrian, causing her serious injuries.
The vehicle also destroyed a large brick fence pillar before finally coming to rest after hitting a black Vauxhall Astra parked at the side of the road.
The crashing sound of the van hitting the pillar sent the house’s three occupants rushing outside to see what happened.
Initially they saw only the damage to the fence before realising a person was on the ground and in need of immediate medical assistance.
The occupants tried to keep the woman calm and comfortable while they alerted emergency services.
The road remained open to traffic as paramedics arrived on the scene and tended to the woman.
She was taken to hospital at about 2.50pm and police officers carried out a number of interviews with residents and witnesses.
Royal Mail spokesperson, Mike Norman, said: “Royal Mail can confirm that one of our vehicles was involved in an accident this afternoon in Oxford Street, Barrow. We are investigating this incident as a matter of urgency.”
A spokeswoman for Cumbria police said: “An investigation into the cause of the collision is under way by the Roads Policing Unit.
“Anyone who witnessed the collision is urged to contact PC Mark Jordan on 101.”
First published at 16:20, Wednesday, 20 March 2013
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk
Whatever happened to the common sense approach of leaving vehicles in gear when they're parked up?
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reading this article it reads there was no handbrake applyed onto on the van and left to roll carelessly, i know the postperson involved and the hand brake was applyed at a level of 4
Posted by lori on 24 March 2013 at 17:56