Jurij Grisko
UPDATE: Man killed in road river tragedy near Whittlesey named
Story by: ANDREW PAPWORTH
Monday, September 10, 2012
4:36 PM
A UKRAINIAN who died in a three-car accident on the North Bank near Whittlesey has been named.
Jurij Grisko suffered a traumatic cardiac arrest after the collision involving three cars where one went off the road and into the nearby River Nene at noon on Saturday (September 8).
A 35-year-old man from Peterborough, driving a Rover 200, suffered minor injuries in the incident but a 56-year-old man, driving a Jaguar S-Type, was seriously injured.
A spokesman for Magpas said they provided Mr Grisko, 50, of Kesteven Walk, Peterborough, with “advanced life support” and “helped control his breathing and administered drugs and fluids”.
“Sadly, despite all their best efforts - including more than 40 minutes attempted resuscitation - the patient was pronounced dead at the scene, our thoughts are with his family and friends at this time.”
The road was closed for several hours following the accident.
Graham Chappell, organiser of the Fenland Road Safety Campaign (Charlotte’s Way) campaign said: “It has been evident that for a long time the North Bank has been the most regularly lethal of the roads our efforts have targeted.
“Our campaign has focused on lobbying for improved safety infrastructure, and especially more safety barriers, being installed along these river adjacent roads.
“Cost considerations have obliged us to aim for targeted safety barrier installation, at obvious high risk spots such as bends and junctions, and in 2008 I entered into communication with Peterborough City Council officials regarding the possibility of a stretch of barrier being installed on the blind bend at the Northey end, where a fatal immersion RTA had prompted the installation of ‘slow down’ signs a few years ago.
“Sadly PCC officials were dismissive of the prospect of safety barrier installation on the North Bank at that time.
“We therefore focused our efforts instead on negotiations with Cambs County Council, who are responsible for two of the three roads, and have now secured agreement for jointly funded new safety barrier installation, this year, at Bedlam Bridge, near March.
“Cambs CC has also already installed a new stretch of safety barrier towards the Chatteris end of the Sixteen Foot, at their own expense.
“The tragedy will be no less for the family and friends of the individual who has died on the North Bank, regardless of whether it has occurred as a result of river immersion or vehicle impact, and it is clear that there are general hazards involved with vehicle speed, overtaking and narrowness of the carriageway on this road.
“Nonetheless, the news of this latest fatal RTA, will be of particular interest to a number of Campaign supporters, and especially those similarly bereaved, if it has involved another river immersion death.”
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5 comments
First and foremost, our thoughts must be with Mr Grisko's family and friends at this difficult time. It would seem to be an incidental point in this case, as Mr Grisko's death does not appear to have been the result of his car entering the adjacent river, however, in response to another contributor's expression of dismay regarding the prospect of a safety barrier being installed on this road, there is, in fact, substantial width in the river adjacent grass banking on much of the North Bank road to permit any barrier to be installed at sufficient distance from the road edge, to allow for a degree of 'room for escape' from the risk of impact with other traffic on the road, in the event of loss of control and impact with the barrier, or the need for some evasive action to be taken. For fit adult drivers and front seat passengers, provided they are conscious when their vehicle enters a body of water, they have a fair chance of escaping an errant vehicle. Experience has demonstrated that unconscious adults and all children, are at substantial risk of fatality in a submerging vehicle, hence our Campaign's continued interest in securing more safety barrier installation, especially at bends, and certain junctions, on our local river adjacent roads. Graham Chappell, Campaign Organiser, The Fenland Road Safety Campaign (Charlotte's Way)
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Graham Chappell
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
It is very true that the road is unfit for purpose and carries more traffic than it should. A bypass and a bridge over the A605 crossing is long overdue and would mean that people would have an alternative route out of Whittlesey. At the moment, if you can get along the A605 with the crossing gates up then you are either very very lucky or in a dream... I would still like to see a barrier, especially on the corner, as i would rather take my chance with this than the river.
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me-in-whittlesey
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
The cause of this accident is as yet unpublished. Until it is it's pure speculation as to it's cause. Speed may have been a factor. Poor judgement and or lack of concentration is equally likely. Bad driving is key. 'Accident' is a euphemism. I use the road daily and witness some breathtaking stupidity. Erratic driving. Too fast. Too slow( equally bad) reckless overtaking. I am surprised there are not more 'accidents'. Real idiots using it as a race track. Then there's the other end of the spectrum. The stubborn fool doing 40mph and causing a long line behind them( if your scared, use a different route) The real problem is that the road is unfit for purpose and carries far more traffic than it should. Whittlesey deserves better and should be like all other fenland towns and be bypassed. I am dismayed that the barrier issue is still being touted. Barriers do not prevent accidents and on NBR could well make matters worse by bouncing an out of control car back into traffic. I have had cause to drive onto the grass to avoid an overtaking driver coming straight at me. Had there been no area of escape I would have been hit head on. Anyway. Whittlesey needs a bypass to relieve pressure on that road. Simple as.
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Washlander
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
It's not people driving at 30 that causes the problems, it is people driving at 70+. I drive down here every day and usually every day someone overtakes me doing way over the 60 speed limit. Quite often i see near misses as they don't really look who is coming the other way. This accident looks like a case of someone overtaking on the short stretch too close to the blind bend and then a car has come around the corner. It's another thing i see on a weekly basis but luckily, no one has ever been coming the other way. Unfortunately, it's not just their own lives these speeders are putting at risk, it is all of us that travel on that road.
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me-in-whittlesey
Monday, September 10, 2012
It is a shame that someone live was taken but there is nothing wrong at all with the road it is nice and smooth no pot holes and it is nearly straight it is just that some drivers think that they can drive at 30mph a hour in the middle of the road meaning people take risks if they don't like driving along the river then they should take the A605 the road is not dangerous it is the drivers
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karenmcfarling
Monday, September 10, 2012