Coroner calls for safety changes on Peterborough road which saw mother and son drown after crash

A coroner has called for action to be taken to make a Peterborough road safer after a mum and son drowned in a crash last year.

Vivien and Milan Radocz from Stamford were travelling along the Old Oundle Road in Wittering on September 3 last year on their way to a family trip to the cinema when Vivien lost control of car and crashed into a pond.

Sadly, Vivien (28) and Milan (8) died, after their car was left upside down and under water for several hours before the accident was uncovered.

An inquest was held at Peterborough Town Hall earlier this year, when coroner Simon Millburn heard about the tragic circumstances around the crash.

Now Mr Millburn has written a Prevention of future deaths report, where he has called for safety measures to be introduced on the road.

In the report, he said: “During the course of the investigation my inquiries revealed matters giving rise to concern. In my opinion there is a risk that future deaths could occur unless action is taken.”

He added: “The vehicle involved in the collision failed to negotiate the left hand band on the westbound Old Oundle Road at Wittering adjacent to the rear crash gates of RAF Wittering. The vehicle left the road to its offside and entered a pond where it became submerged in water. The 2 occupants of the vehicle drowned as a result. There is sharp route deviation signage for vehicles travelling in the opposite direction but nothing to alert westbound drivers of the sharp left hand bend. The water beyond the bend clearly creates an additional hazard.“Whilst the precise reason the vehicle failed to negotiate the left hand bend on this occasion is unclear I am concerned that the lack of signage alerting westbound traffic of the bend at this location creates a risk of future incidents and death, not least because of the water beyond."

Following both the accident and the inquest, Wittering councillor Gavin Elsey called for changes to be made to the road, describing it as ‘dangerous,’ and saying the bend where the accident happened was particularly bad.

He said: “I have been in contact with the health and safety officer, and the highways department and police, and all three are looking at what can be put in place to avoid something like this happening again.

"For a number of reasons, including the make up of the verge, a crash barrier has been discounted, but we are exploring putting in more signage and better road markings. We have not had an update on when that might happen.

"I am still very keen to see see the road improved and safety measures put in place to avoid a tragic incident like this happening again.”

While the report has been submitted to Cambridgeshire County Council, the road is managed by Peterborough City Council, who have until June 22 to respond to the report.

At the inquest, Mr Millburn recorded a cause of death as being as a result of a road traffic collision.

The Peterborough Telegraph has contacted Peterborough City Council for comment.