On Wednesday 10 January at around 7.30am a red Renault entered Stonesfield from the direction of Fawler. The driver lost control of his Renault, it rolled onto its roof and came to rest, back on its wheels, just before Witney Lane. The driver suffered minor cuts and bruises but the car was a write off. A good neighbour took the very shocked driver into their home to clean him up while he waited for a recovery vehicle.
Three days later another driver lost control of his vehicle in a similar spot but, after bouncing off both verges and shedding bits of plastic trim, managed to avoid a more serious accident.
Although this part Stonesfield is a popular walking area, fortunately there were no pedestrians or cyclists in the area at the time. Nor were there any vehicles leaving Stonesfield. Had there been people or cars around, the consequences could have been disastrous. The Renault is not the first car to be written off in the same place, the last time only the vehicle occupants were hurt. In a recent separate accident slightly further down Laughton Hill a cyclist was injured by a car.
These incidents all happened in what is now a clearly marked 20mph area and a vehicle’s speed is shown on the Speed Indicator Device at Witney Lane junction. Drivers are reminded of the importance of adherence to these limits and to take extra care in cold and wet conditions.
We have now collected up and disposed of the debris left behind after the accident, two large bin bags of glass and plastic. We would hope that we do not have to do this again and that everyone stays safe.