CRASH VICTIM
Driver dies two weeks later
A village has been mourning the death of a well-known grandmother who passed away weeks after she was injured in a car crash.
Rita Cracknell from Wateringbury was the passenger in a Mazda that hit two parked cars in Paddock Wood.
Fire-fighters helped to rescue her and she was taken to King’s College Hospital in London with serious neck injuries.
She died almost a fortnight later, on Friday, November 21.
The 79-year-old had lived in Mill Lane with her husband Graham for decades. She was a member of the Wateringbury Local History Society and a keen bridge player.
Ted Bates, acting chairman of the society, had known Rita for 45 years. He described her as a friendly and charming lady, adding: “She was very much a family- orientated person and had lived in the village for a long time. She and her husband were both members and she was a delightful lady. Everybody in the village was very sad to hear about it – it was a tragic accident.”
Before she retired, Mrs Cracknell had worked in the fashion industry and spent some 20 years at Eve’s ladies’ boutique in West Malling High Street.
Her health had deteriorated in recent years and her sight had begun to fail, leaving her unable to drive herself and reliant on friends.
Kent Police’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit is investigating the crash, which happened at 10.10am on Saturday, November 8, and is urging any witnesses to come forward.
Another woman in her 80s, thought to have been the driver, was also injured and taken to hospital in Tunbridge Wells. Officers are particularly keen to speak to anyone who may have seen the black Mazda in the moments before the collision, in Maidstone Road just after the junction with Allington Road.
An inquest into Mrs Cracknell’s death is expected to be opened by the coroner for North West Kent, Roger Hatch, in the next week.
If you have any information, call the dedicated SCIU appeal line on 01622 798538.