Family of Peter Pringle publish car wreck photo

Jul 15 2009 by Robert Weatherall, The Journal

THE DEVASTATED mother of a teenage road crash victim has decided to release a harrowing picture in the hope that it could prevent another tragedy.

Gillian Dodds wanted the picture to be published in the hope of preventing another family going through the same tragedy.

The mangled wreck is all that is left of the red Vauxhall Corsa which belonged to Peter Pringle. With its smashed windscreen lying in hundreds of fragments in the road, its front bumper and headlight ripped off and its roof torn open like a tin can it serves as a stark reminder of the dangers lurking on every road.

Close inspection shows that the popular 17-year-old stood no chance of survival as the roof caved in right above the drivers’ seat – where Peter would have been positioned.

What is most worrying of all is that this carnage wasn’t caused by a teenage boy racer speeding on country roads – eyewitnesses state that Peter was travelling at a steady 40mph in a 60mph zone when he lost control of the car on a country lane near Alnwick.

Speaking barely 24 hours after burying her nephew his aunt Suzanne Dodds said: “If releasing this picture helps to save one life by showing how serious accidents can be then it will be worth it.”

Peter died on July 3 as he returned home from work. Just three weeks earlier friend Sam Gattens, 17, also lost his life after losing control of another red Vauxhall Corsa.

The pair now lie almost side by side in Alnwick cemetery.

Their plots, covered in flowers and mementos, serve as a reminder of the terrible human cost that can be paid by inexperienced motorists.