Death smash police plea to mystery man
Apr 16 2008 by Neil Mckay, The Journal
POLICE probing the car death of a Polish father-to-be on his way home from work have appealed for a mystery greyhound owner to come forward.
Investigators believe the man, who had two racing dogs in his car, may have vital information about the crash which killed Piotr Panufnik, 29, as he drove home to his wife Kamila at 6.40pm on Sunday, April 6.
The dog owner stopped at the scene of the crash in what police now believe to have been a Citroen Berlingo, but drove off before emergency services arrived.
Sergeant Lee Morris, of the Durham road policing unit, said investigators believe Mr Panufnik lost control of his Nissan Primera on a bend on the B1283 road between Haswell Plough and Sherburn Hill, east of Durham, and ploughed head-on into an oncoming Toyota Lucida.
He added: “We believe Mr Panufnik must have used the road regularly, because he was on his way home from work at Peterlee to his home in Belmont, Durham.
“It snowed heavily that night, but it was not snowing at the time of the crash, although the road was wet and conditions were cold.
“But what caused Mr Panufnik to lose control remains a mystery, and we hope that the driver of what we now think was a Citroen Berlingo will get in touch, and that he may be able to shed some light on what happened.
“He may be able to give us some idea of why Mr Panufnik lost control of his car on the bend.
“He was driving east towards Easington and was directly behind the Toyota which was hit by the Primera. He spoke to a witness at the scene of the accident.
“We know he had two dogs, which we think were greyhounds, in the car. He told the witness he was on his way to a race meeting.
“We would like him, or anybody who thinks they know him, to contact us as a matter of urgency.”
Sgt Morris can be contacted at the Accident Investigation Unit on (0191) 375-2159 or via the Durham police switchboard on 0845 60 60 365.
The driver of the Toyota, a local man, is recovering from injuries and shock.
Mr and Mrs Panufnik, who is three months pregnant with the couple’s first child, moved to County Durham from Poland a year ago when he was offered a job with car parts manufacturer TRW Automotive in Peterlee.
Mr Panufnik’s employers have described him as a conscientious and enthusiastic worker who had become a valued member of the company, and staff had been utterly devastated by his death.
