Council considers improvements to ambulance crash junction

A ROAD junction where an ambulance and car collided last week could be set for safety improvements.

Casualties were cut from both the emergency vehicle and a Suzuki Ignis after the incident last Wednesday evening just past the railway crossing where the A337 Lymington Road and Brookley Road meet in Brockenhurst.

Following the incident, questions have arisen over the safety of that stretch and the traffic island which lies between the two roads and hosts the Cycle Experience outlet, trading as the Boost Bike Hub.

Business founder Ross Kempson said the incident had been “very unfortunate for those involved”, adding: “I hope it highlights the potential hazards at this junction as there have been several minor incidents over the years.

“I encourage Hampshire County Council to carry out a safety audit of this junction to mitigate the possibility of life threatening accidents in the future especially when so many students use the junction as a crossing point on their journey from the train station to the college.”

In response, an HCC spokesperson said: “We were sorry to hear of this incident and hope all those involved recover quickly.

“Safety comes first, and we routinely prioritise resources to sites where there is evidence that installing new traffic measures will bring about road safety improvements, in terms of road casualty reduction.

“We regularly analyse injury accident data to determine what interventions could be introduced to reduce the number of people injured on our roads.

“We will be asking the police for details of this incident and, together with a study of the injury accident record for this route, will consider if any interventions could be put in place to improve road safety.”

As reported in the A&T it is thought the ambulance was on blue lights and responding to a call-out when the collision happened.

The force of the impact caused it to plough into the corner of the Cycle Experience, smashing a window and demolishing brickwork.

Paramedics treated three casualties at the scene before they were all taken by ambulance to Southampton General Hospital.

An ambulance service spokesperson said the ambulance driver, a 26-year-old woman, and her fellow crew member, a 51-year-old woman, suffered serious but not life-threatening injuries.

The Suzuki’s driver, a 26-year-old woman from Lymington, suffered minor injuries.

Hampshire police have confirmed enquiries into the incident are ongoing.

Driver arrested

It has also emerged that just after 10pm on the same night, officers at the scene arrested a 39-year-old woman from New Milton on suspicion of drink-driving after her vehicle reversed into a police car which had been called in response to the original collision.

A spokesperson for the constabulary added: “She has been released under investigation. No damage was caused to either vehicle. The woman was not involved in the collision between the ambulance and the car.”