Mother of Wednesbury brain damaged boy: 'I'm furious nothing has been done'
The mother of a boy who was left with a severe brain injury at the same set of traffic lights where a woman was critically injured has called for the junction to be improved.
Amanda Knight the mother of 14-year-old James Birks is calling on people to campaign to have the set of traffic lights on the A461 High Bullen altered to make it safer for people trying to cross.
She said: "I'm furious that nothing has been done since James was knocked down.
"It's about time to clamp down on this dangerous crossing. Is it going to take someone dying before something is finally done?"
On Friday morning a woman believed to be in her 60s was hit at the set of lights by a large tanker lorry.
She received serious injuries and was taken to the Major Trauma Unit at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham.
Traffic came to a standstill for around half an hour in the town centre after the collision, but soon began moving again after one side of the road in the direction of the junction 9 of the M6 for Wednesbury was reopened at around 1pm.
A year before on April 24 2013 James Birks was knocked down on the same pedestrian crossing in Wednesbury while out playing with his friends.
He was flown to Birmingham Children's hospital by air ambulance and spent four months there with his family by his side, his father Jason, 45, sleeping next to him.
In August, he was fit enough to be moved and began receiving treatment at the Children's Trust in Surrey before moving back to the Black Country earlier this year.
His 43-year-old mother from Beebee Road in Wednesbury, said: "I know what the family must be going through right now. I just want to make sure that this doesn't happen to anyone else. I know James would want to see something done."
She said that she had seen a number of near misses at the lights herself and felt that the speed on that stretch of road needed to be reduced and the number of lanes brought down to one to slow traffic.
She also added that she felt that the two crossings on High Bullen could be reduced to one to reduce confusion for both motorists and pedestrians.
Sandwell Council's Cabinet Member for Highways, Councillor Maria Crompton has said she has already launched an investigation to see if the crossing can be made safer.
She said: "As soon as I heard about the accident I sent an email out to my officers in highways asking them to begin an investigation into making the crossing safer and they have already begun looking and considering options for the future."
Her fellow Councillor and representative for Wednesbury, Councillor Elaine Costigan added: "This is worrying we just need to make sure people aware of the dangers until something is done."
Any witnesses to the incident on Friday should contact Sergeant Tim Rogers as soon as possible on 101.
