A19 barrier gaps 'must be shut' after woman's crash death

Gaps in a road's central reservation must be closed after a woman was killed when a van went through one and hit her car, a coroner said.

Sonia Rose, 83, died on the A19 near Northallerton after a van veered from the opposite side of the dual carriageway into her path.

Speaking at her inquest, coroner Michael Oakley said drivers using the gaps were risking lives.

Mrs Rose's family is also campaigning to make the road safer.

A former teacher at Fulford School in York, Mrs Rose had been travelling to meet her walking group when she was hit after the van ploughed through a crossing known as the Tontine gap, in September 2016.

The inquest, at County Hall in Northallerton, heard the van driver had since been diagnosed with a sleep disorder and as a result would not face criminal charges.

Mrs Rose's daughter Katy described the road as a "death trap".

"It seems that if a barrier had been in place on this long gap on the dual carriageway then our lovely mum would still be alive today," she said.

"If we can get something positive out of the last, appallingly awful year I feel we would be doing mum some justice."

Recording a narrative conclusion, Mr Oakley said he was concerned by the number of crossing points on that stretch of road and would be writing to the relevant authorities advising urgent action.