The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Motorists halt traffic to prevent crash tragedy
Accident on Standing Stane road downs telegraph pole
Quick-thinking motorists stopped traffic and averted a disaster when a telegraph pole crashed on to Fife’s Standing Stane road following a crash.
The pole and cabling teetered over on to the busy road as vehicles headed towards it.
The drivers involved in the two-car collision and a local farmer rushed into the traffic to alert motorists and stopped a bus and other vehicles from driving into the danger zone.
The incident occurred on the A915 between Kirkcaldy and Leven at Wellsgreen. The pole toppled, bringing wires crashing down after it, as the drivers were getting out of their cars.
Police closed the road as emergency services dealt with the incident and BT carried out repairs.
No one was hurt but the drivers were badly shaken.
Drivers who found themselves caught up in yet another accident on Fife’s notorious Standing Stane road averted a more serious crash when a telegraph pole toppled and smashed across the carriageway
As the pole and cabling bounced precariously in front of oncoming vehicles and a bus, the quick-thinking motorists ran into traffic to alert other road-users to the danger.
The pole was hit after a two-car crash on Saturday on the A915 between Kirkcaldy and Leven.
It came down after the occupants were out of their cars near the Wellsgreen Golf Range.
No one was hurt in the incident but one of the good samaritans said the consequences could have been far worse.
She said: “We had to run into traffic to stop it as the cables and half the pole were bouncing in the air in front of traffic across both carriageways.
“A farmer came out to help. We managed to stop a bus and other traffic to prevent the accident getting a lot more serious.”
The woman, who did not want to be named, said no one was hurt but the drivers were badly shaken by the drama.
The accident, involving a grey Golf GTI and a black BMW 3 series, happened shortly after 7pm.
Police and paramedics rushed to the scene and the road was closed as they dealt with the emergency.
The 60mph road, which has long straights and dips, has been the scene of numerous accidents over the years, including two fatal crashes in November and December which claimed the lives of two teenagers and a young father.
In the wake of last year’s tragedies, a petition was launched calling for the speed limit to be reduced to 40mph and for the route to be upgraded to a dual carriageway.
More than 2,000 people have signed it.
A Police Scotland spokesman gave an assurance that there had been no live wiring across the road during the incident.
He said BT had been alerted straight away and the firm sent out engineers to deal with the damage and restore the line.
John O’Brien, SNP councillor for Buckhaven, Methil and Wemyss villages, has spoken out about the dangers of the road.
He also previously pledged a report into safety measures along the route would be brought to Fife Council’s Levenmouth area committee early this year.