Tragedy sparks Hartburn Bridge safety calls
Oct 18 2010 by David Black, The Journal
A DRIVER was killed yesterday when his car went out of control and plunged into a river from a rural bridge which has been the subject of long-running road safety fears.
The 26-year-old man suffered fatal injuries when his Ford Mondeo ploughed through Hartburn Bridge west of Morpeth, Northumberland, and ended upside down in the water below.
Firefighters called out at about 2.45am used hydraulic cutting gear to remove the doors and free him from the vehicle, which was on its roof in about 12 inches of water.
Paramedics worked on him for about 20 minutes at the scene, before he was taken by ambulance to Newcastle General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Yesterday – as a Northumbria Police investigation into the cause of the tragedy continued – it emerged that local parish councillors have been calling for a safety barrier on the bridge because of fears that such a fatality could happen.
Cars have gone through the bridge, which carries the B6343 between Morpeth and Scots Gap over the Hart Burn, on at least two previous occasions.
For drivers travelling from Morpeth, the bridge comes at the bottom of a steep bank and involves a sharp turn in the road.
In recent years, Hartburn Parish Council has asked the county council to erect a barrier because of concerns that another vehicle would go through the single-leaf bridge and into the burn 20ft below.
The request was refused because of the historic nature of the bridge, although anti-slip surfacing was put down on the steep bank leading to it.
Yesterday parish chairman, Ernie Coe, said: “We have tried for years to have a barrier put up because we were very concerned that this sort of thing could happen again. There were previous incidents in about 1998 and 2001 when cars went through the bridge, and another accident was always on the cards.
“It is a very steep hill down to the bridge and a sharp turn onto it, and there have been quite a few accidents and near-misses there.
“For the last six months there has been non-slip surfacing on the road leading down to the bridge, but that was the best they could offer us. They wouldn’t agree to a barrier because it is an ancient bridge, and we were quite disappointed with that.
“As a parish council we will now be writing to the county again, insisting that something is done this time. It is tragic that someone has lost their life and questions will be asked about this.”
The dead man had not been named by police last night. Firefighters and ambulance service personnel trained in water rescues took 39 minutes to free him from the car. Gary Jefferson, Northumberland fire and rescue service station manager at West Hartford, was one of the first on the scene of yesterday’s fatality.
He said: “The car was upside down in the Hart Burn and we used cutting gear to take the doors off and remove the male casualty. It was a very difficult extrication, with difficult access and steep embankments. Tragically, this was a fatal accident and, although we don’t know the cause yet, we would advise drivers to take extra care at this time of the year because of unpredictable conditions on rural roads like this.”
The B6343 remained closed yesterday, with diversions in place, as police continued to investigate. Hartburn Bridge was due to be checked by structural engineers.
Northumbria Police appealed for any witnesses, or anyone with information, to contact motor patrols officers in Bedlington on 0345 604 3043.
