Council To Consider Safety Of Crossing

A Durham mother left devastated when her 13-year-old son was killed whilst crossing a main road near his home has welcomed a public consultation to examine the safety of the crossing he was using.

Brandon Nugent was killed on March 21st 2011 whilst crossing the A690 near his home in Gilesgate.

Durham County Council has launched a public consultation that will launch on August 8th,and  will invite opinions on the crossing from members of the public and community groups.

Now Brandon’s mother, Madeline Walker, has urged as many people as possible to respond to the consultation in order to air their views on the crossing.

She is also working with serious injury specialist lawyers at Irwin Mitchell for help in a bid to bring improvements to the crossing.

Ms Walker said: “We feel the crossing is very dangerous and we are pleased that the County Council has responded to our wishes to take action on the crossing.

“No family should have to endure what we have gone through and we want to see the crossing closed down, or at the very least made a lot safer. However, it is a public crossing and what matters is ensuring we have a large number of responses from people who know the area and who know how dangerous the crossing can be.

“I hope there is a good response to the consultation and that improvements will be made sooner rather than later.”

Helen Thomson, solicitor at Irwin Mitchell, said she was investigating the possibility of a civil claim on behalf of Brandon’s family, but said it was at a very early stage.

She said: “We feel there are strong safety issues with the crossing in question and fully support the launch of a public consultation. Unfortunately, it has taken a fatality to prompt this action, but now we have to hope the issues are addressed as quickly and effectively as possible.

“This is a particularly poignant time for the consultation to launch as August is National Road Victim Month and as we head into the summer holidays, there are particularly high numbers of children out and about.

“We would urge vigilance on the roads during the holidays, not just on the crossing on which Brandon was killed.”