Dad fears someone will die where car hit his son

A dad whose son was hit by a car on a busy road said he feared there would be a fatal accident unless the area was made safer.

Residents in Lawford, Essex, have started a petition calling for a 20mph (32km/h) speed limit and zebra crossing to be installed in Wignall Street.

Dan Evans, whose 14-year-old boy had to go to hospital in November after a vehicle drove over his feet, said "someone will have to die" for action to be taken.

A spokesperson for Essex Highways said: "We closely monitor local data and police engagement, as well as resident feedback. With enough evidence, we are able to put forward works for funding."

Although his son made a quick recovery, Evans said the incident had made a "lasting impact beyond the physical".

"It was the single most scary thing that has ever happened to me as a parent, or indeed my life," he added.

The teenager's mum Kate said: "I don't want what he went through to happen to any other children. He is not what he was before it happened."

Cyril William Helm, 74, has been walking his seven-year-old grandson to school along Wignall Street for about a year.

"We have to cross this road and it is a very dangerous thing to do. The traffic is flying at you from all angles," he said.

Abbie Fairbairn, head teacher of Lawford Church of England Primary School, also called for the road to be made safer, saying parents were "cautious about allowing their children to walk to school when they've got such a hazardous area to cross".

Fiona Cannings, 56, is another parent calling for a zebra crossing to be installed.

She said: "My children have found it very dangerous over the years and have had quite a few near-misses.

"Drivers are very reckless, the way they just swing round the corner. We seem to be waiting for an accident to happen."

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