Victim of horror hit-and-run crash calls for safety changes on 'race track' road
A woman who was knocked down in a horror hit-and-run crash that killed her pet dog is calling for harsher speed restrictions on the road where she was hit.
Patricia Faulkner was walking her eight-year-old dog Millie along Doe Bank Lane in Great Barr on July 22 when she was struck by a speeding car and thrown across a hedge into a field.
Her beloved pet was killed and Patricia suffered serious injuries.
Footage released by police after the crash showed how a blue Renault car lost control, careered across the road and hit the elderly woman at speed from behind.
Both driver and passengers fled the scene, abandoning the vehicle and jumping into another car shortly up the road.
Witnesses have said they believe the two vehicles had been racing and Patricia, who lives on Doe Bank Lane, said that is not an unusual occurrence. She said the problem has worsened since lockdown began, with drivers treating empty roads like a race track.
Doe Bank Lane is currently a 20mph road, but residents claim the limit is often broken.
Patricia said: "This has been an accident waiting to happen for some time now.
"Cars regularly speed up and down the lane, racing each other, which is what we believe happened the day I was hit. While I was injured badly by the impact of the car and being launched through the air, it could have been much worse. It could so easily have been a child instead of me. It’s time the council did something to help limit speed along Doe Bank Lane; we need speed bumps or similar management measures to prevent something like this happening again.
"It was such a shock - you don’t expect to nip out of the house to walk the dog and end up hospitalised. Coming home without Millie was heartbreaking – she had been with us for four years.
"We’re very grateful to the kind person who put Millie into their car to drive her to the vet, although she unfortunately passed away on the way. We’re devastated to lose her, but I’m grateful that my injuries weren’t worse - it could have been a completely different story."
A fundraiser set up online to support Patricia raised more than £1,600.
A 17-year old boy from Birmingham was arrested on suspicion of causing serious injury by dangerous driving but has since been released pending investigation.
Michelle Arathoon, senior associate at JMW Solicitors, the law firm representing Patricia, said: “This was a shocking incident that left Patricia with major injuries - unfortunately these types of cases aren’t unusual, although this is particularly serious given the fact that the driver subsequently fled the scene.
"While Patricia will be able to claim limited compensation via the Motor Insurers Bureau - which supports those who have been involved in accidents with an unidentified or uninsured driver - it’s very important that the driver in this case is identified and brought to justice.
"The accident has had an enormous impact on Patricia’s life and I hope that the council take stock and do something positive to make Doe Bank Lane safer for pedestrians in the future."
