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12
Feb
Police update on fatal collision on A61 near Harrogate
No one has been charged in connection with a fatal crash on the A61 near Harrogate, police have said.
Lucjan Wilk, 90, died after he was struck by a Ford Fiesta travelling on the A61 Ripon Road towards Killinghall on November 6, 2023.
The incident happened on the bridge close to the junction with Knox Mill Lane shortly before 6pm.
Mr Wilk, who had just got off the bus when he was hit by the car, sustained multiple serious injuries and died the following evening at Leeds General Infirmary.
Originally from Poland, he lived with his daughter, Paulina, and her husband at a house near the 36 bus stop.
North Yorkshire Police opened an investigation at the time and said the driver of the Ford Fiesta was assisting officers with their enquiries.
Nearly 18 months on, the Stray Ferret contacted the police for an update and asked if anyone had been charged.
A spokesperson for the force said the investigation was now complete and a report has been passed to the coroner.
They also confirmed no one has been charged.
The collision happened on the A61 Ripon Road.
The news comes after the Stray Ferret last week reported the same outcome following an investigation into a triple fatality crash on the A61 at South Stainley, which happened around two months before Mr Wilk’s death.
Three Ukrainian people, including two children, were killed in the collision.
Police told the Stray Ferret no one was charged and the investigation has concluded.
'This road is just horrendous'
The string of fatalities on the A61 led to calls for better road safety.
Following Mr Wilk’s death, his daughter told the Stray Ferret:
This road is just horrendous. People come flying down that hill – I don’t think anyone does less than 50mph, and many go a lot faster than that.
There’s also no lighting between Harrogate and Killinghall, and not even any on Knox Mill Lane. It’s so dangerous.
I don’t think they put the bus stop in the right place at all.
Paulina called on North Yorkshire Council to reduce the speed limit on the stretch between Harrogate and Killinghall to 30mph, and to install lighting and introduce robust traffic-calming measures, such as speed-indicator display signs.
She said at the time she had asked the council for more lighting “but nobody is listening – it’s like we don’t exist”.
Paulina also told the Stray Ferret she can see the spot where her father was struck from her window:
I have to pass it every day on my way into town, too – there's no escape.
My dad was a wonderful person and unbelievably fit for 90 years old. It’s so unfair – he didn’t deserve to die like that.
The council approved plans to reduce the speed limit on the road between Ripon and Ripley from 60mph to 50mph last October following a campaign by South Stainley residents - backed by Conservative MP Sir Julian Smith - but this is yet to be implemented.
However, despite Paulina’s plea, no changes have been made to the speed limit on the A61 between Harrogate and Killinghall.
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