03 Nov 2023
A profoundly deaf woman has been hit by a car while walking her dog along the A1081 Harpenden Road, close to St Albans Girls School.
The accident occurred at around 9.50am this morning, and the victim was airlifted to hospital with what are said to be life-threatening injuries.
Police have confirmed that a silver Toyota Yaris and a Honda CRV were involved in a collision on Harpenden Road. During the incident, the Toyota also collided with a pedestrian.
Sgt Rebecca Cornell from Beds, Cambs, Herts Road Policing Unit said “I am appealing for witnesses who may have seen or have dash cam footage of both the Toyota and Honda prior to the collision – both vehicles have travelled from the Harpenden direction towards St Albans along Harpenden Road.
“I would also ask anyone who lives along this stretch of road to review their CCTV or doorbell footage to see if anything has been captured.”
Two people have been arrested in connection with the incident.
You can contact Sergeant Cornell via rebecca.cornell@herts.police.uk.
Local resident Gee Smedley, who lives in Sandridgebury Lane, said safety improvements are urgently needed on the A1081: “For so many years, there has been an issue of speeding on this section of the A1081. I have found emails going back to 2015 raising the issue. The latest being just a month ago, as my dog and I had near miss when a white Polestar decided to drive at over 50mph as we crossed the road. The car should have been going at 30mph. This is not an isolated incident. There needs to be action taken.
“I have sent emails to councillors and the police on the matter a number of times. Before moving to Sandridgebury Lane I never had call for either the police, councillors or of my local MP. Now I just feel totally dreadful because I was ignored and someone vulnerable in our community has been very seriously hurt.
“The lady would not have heard the car due to her deafness. The rest of us hear and see the speeding all the time and often jump out of the way. I have even had to jump out of the way as cars drive through the red lights at the dedicated crossing.”
Helen Campbell, Liberal Democrat county councillor for St Albans North, said: “I was extremely sorry to learn that a pedestrian had been seriously injured as a result of a road traffic incident involving two vehicles on the A1081 on Friday morning. The emergency services did a sterling job at the scene and getting the injured person to hospital quickly. I know everyone hopes for a swift and full recovery.”
