Girl, 15, killed crossing road

Sep 25 2007 By Dave Black, The Journal

TRIBUTES were paid yesterday to a teenage girl who died after being struck by a car as she walked back to her Northumberland home across a main road in darkness.

Emma Louise Mitchell, 15, was crossing the A189 Spine Road near Cramlington at 10pm on Sunday when she was struck by a car travelling north on the dual carriageway.

She died from her injuries in Wansbeck General Hospital, Ashington following the accident, which happened 250m south of the A1061 slip road to Shankhouse.

It is believed Emma was crossing the dual carriageway to get to her home in nearby Brampton Court, Cramlington when the tragedy happened. The estate where she lived is separated from the A189 by a strip of woodland and another road.

Yesterday four bouquets of flowers and several cards were left by grieving friends on a roadside sign close to the spot where Emma was hit by the grey Ford Mondeo.

One said: “To Emma RIP, you will always be in our hearts”, and another read, “Tragically lost but never forgotten”.

Emma was living in foster care in Cramlington after being placed there earlier this year by Cumbria County Council’s children’s services department, to be closer to her extended family. Her natural mother lives in Cumbria.

The A189 was closed for three hours following the accident and yesterday Northumbria Police appealed for witnesses to come forward.

The tragedy is the latest in a number of fatal accidents on the 70mph A189 road, which runs from Gosforth to Newbiggin-by-the-Sea.

Yesterday Alan Savage, who lives in nearby East Cramlington, said: “I heard all the sirens going off on Sunday night and wondered what had happened.

“It is tragic the number of accidents on that road over the years. A young lad was knocked down and killed by a car a few years ago just a few hundreds yards further north. The problem with the stretch of the road where this latest accident happened is that there are no street lamps and it is absolutely pitch black.

“Young kids are always crossing that road and it is even a problem for drivers, who have trouble seeing the exit slip roads because it is so dark.”

A Northumberland County Council spokesman said: “This was a tragic accident and we would extend our condolences to the family. As with any serious accident, we will be liaising with Northumbria Police to try to understand how the accident may have happened.”

Police appealed for any witnesses to the accident to contact motor patrols officers on 0845 604-3043 ext 61972.

A Cumbria County Council spokeswoman said: “Social care staff here are supporting Emma’s mother, who continues to live in Cumbria. Her funeral will take place in the North-East at the request of Emma’s mother.”