Death of a young woman prompts a petition for a roundabout at the A17 junction at Terrington St Clement where she died

Scene of the crash at Terrington St Clement (Image: Archant)

Laura Pesterfield, who was in her 20s, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash at the junction with Station Road.

Two boys, who are seriously injured, are believed to be her nephews, and were taken to Addenbrooke’s hospital with life-threatening injuries.

Police are appealing for witnesses to the crash in which Miss Pesterfield’s car was in collision with a lorry.

Inside her vehicle was a Christmas tree and presents.

The incident happened just before 2pm on Monday (21) and has promoted an online Change,org petition which has already gathered more than 2,800 signatures calling for a roundabout at the junction.

Ms Pesterfield was from Boston in Lincolnshire.

A Facebook page for people to leave tributes has been set up here.

Tributes include:

•“I still cannot believe it. I didn’t know u for long enough but it was an honour to have had u in around for the time we did. You were one of life’s true beauties inside and out.”

• “Thinking of all the family at this very sad time. Taken too soon. Thoughts and prayers to the 2 little boys and their parents.”

• “Lovely girl taken far to soon. Thoughts are with your family and them little boys.”

• “Last night was like nightmare hearing you had been taken from us seeing all the messages all over Facebook this morning still brings me to tears.”

The crash involved a silver Vauxhall Astra, which was travelling on Station Road towards the junction of the A17, and a white Mercedes HGV lorry, which was travelling along the A17 in the direction of King’s Lynn.

The driver of the lorry was uninjured and the road re-opened at around 7.30pm.

Meanwhile, a petition has been set up by Nic Skinner, who said: “I have got to ask myself just how many lives does it take before any action is taken.

“I just want the council to wake up.

“I just want to get as many signatures as possible and demand to see the person who can change it.

“There are accidents there nearly every week but no one hears about them until someone dies.”

‘We just feel for the family’

Community leaders have spoken of their sorrow and firefighters told of the harrowing scene at the tragedy, as paramedics battled to save the lives of the two boys, believed to be aged five and eight.

One of the boys was put into an induced coma and airlifted to Addenbrooke’s Hospital, in Cambridge.

The crash happened in wet conditions. Tony White, Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service station manager at King’s Lynn, said: “When our initial commander Andy Littler arrived at the scene, his words were that it was ‘total chaos’.

“Members of the public had assisted and taken the children out of the vehicle.”

Fifteen firefighters attended and made the scene safe, cordoning it off, so paramedics could carry out their crucial efforts to save the children.

Mr White said: “It was a case of us trying to help the paramedics and to keep members of the public away. And we helped to get one of the young boys into the ambulance.

“We just feel for the family. It’s a horrible thing to happen at this time of year.”

With Norfolk’s roads busy over the Christmas period, Mr White urged drivers to take extra care.

Steven Phelps, vice-chairman of Terrington St Clement parish council, said: “It’s such a tragic loss of a young person’s life. It seems worse at this time of year, so close to Christmas, when people are driving home for the holidays.”

His thoughts were echoed by Sheryl Thompson, a former chairman of the council, who lives in the village.

She said: “It’s a tragedy at any time but even more so now, with just days to go before Christmas, when everyone is thinking about getting together with loved ones.

“Our thoughts go out to the victim’s family and friends.”

Parish councillor Dave Shepperson warned how dangerous the area around the Station Road junction was.

He said: “We have had various meetings with highways to try to make that junction safer, but were always told there had not been enough accidents there to warrant making improvements. It’s a dangerous junction.”

In October 2014, motorcyclist Steven Moulton died after his bike was involved in a crash with a car at the same spot.

After an inquest into his death earlier this month, Norfolk coroner Jacqueline Lake said she would be making a request to the Highways Agency to ensure the speed limit at the stretch of road was clarified, although she said that speed was not