Coroner demands safety probe into ‘smart’ motorways after deaths

By /

Coroner demands safety probe into ‘smart’ motorways after deaths

Claire Mercer, in black and red scarf, arrives for the inquest into the deaths of her husband, Jason Mercer, and Alexandru MurgeanuClaire Mercer, in black and red scarf, arrives for the inquest into the deaths of her husband, Jason Mercer, and Alexandru Murgeanu
.
The lack of a hard shoulder on smart motorways contributed to the deaths of two motorists, a coroner ruled today, calling for an urgent review of road networks that present an “ongoing risk” of future fatalities.

Sheffield coroner David Urpeth said the primary cause of death of Jason Mercer, 44, and Alexandru Murgeanu, 22, on the M1 in South Yorkshire was the careless driving of a lorry driver, Prezemyslaw Szuba, who collided with their vehicles as they stood stationary in lane one after a minor accident.

However, recording a conclusion of unlawful killing, he said: “I find, as a finding of fact, it is clear a lack of hard shoulder contributed to this tragedy.” He added that he would be writing to Highways England and Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, asking for a review, saying: “I believe that smart motorways, as things currently stand, present an ongoing risk of future deaths.”

Prezemyslaw Szuba was jailed for 10 months over the crash
SOUTH YORKSHIRE POLICE

Mr Mercer, from Rotherham, and Mr Murgreanu, who was born in Romania and lived in Mansfield, had been exchanging contact details after a minor collision on the M1 near Sheffield in June 2019. They were stationary in lane one when their vehicles were hit by Szuba.

Full article here

PDF version here

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top