Man may have lived if lampposts had worked Coroner raises concerns after shopper hit by car in dark
AMAN was knocked down and killed after the city council failed to repair broken street lights.
Jamie Taylor suffered a fatal brain injury as he “bolted” across the busy A38 close to the Minworth branch of Asda, near Sutton Coldfield.
An inquest on Tuesday heard the lampposts were reported as not working on October 24 last year.
Three street lights and an illuminated road sign were still out of action when the crash happened ten days later on the November 3, Birmingham Coroner’s Court was told.
And a pelican crossing was earmarked for the spot 18 months ago – but is only now being installed.
Coroner Emma Brown said she would write to Birmingham City Council demanding staff ensured all street lights in the area now worked properly.
The inquest heard Mr Taylor, aged 25 and from Charles Crescent, Pelsall, had walked from his girlfriend’s flat when he was knocked down by a car near the Asda entrance at 5.30pm.
Driver Lee Weston, who was heading north on the A38 towards Lichfield, said he did not see Mr Taylor before there was “an impact on my windscreen”.
He told the inquest : “I hadn’t seen anything before that so I didn’t know what it was, but I feared the worst.”
Mr Weston got out of his car and found Mr Taylor lying badly injured in the road. The victim was taken to hospital but died later.
Police collision investigator Pc Darren Macdonald said the broken lights and sign played a part in the crash.
“A pedestrian in dark clothing would be difficult to detect, especially to a driver who would not be expecting a hazard in that location,” the officer said.
He said witnesses described how Mr Taylor “bolted across” the road from a footpath in the central reservation area.
Mr Taylor’s brother, Ricky, told the court : “It was just a tragic accident, but I believe it could have been prevented due to the lighting being out. Lighting is crucial at that point of the road. Had the street lighting been on, the driver would have been able to stop and see Jamie in advance.”
Ravinder Sahota, from Birmingham City Council, accepted there were delays in fixing the lights but insisted only two were not working at the time – a claim disputed by the coroner after viewing photographs.
Ms Brown recorded a verdict that Mr Taylor died as a result of a road traffic accident and said she “took comfort” from the fact there would soon be a pedestrian crossing at the site.