Horror Smash in Plymouth!

[Pannywagon]

Just been checking out the local rag and found this top news story:

Crash Closes busy route in Plymouth

Evening Herald said:

​A WOMAN has been taken to hospital after an accident closed a busy route in Plymouth this morning.

Police have sealed off Brest Road in Derriford, Plymouth after the crash at 6.17am.

Officers say a light blue Fiat Stilo Active crashed and police have closed the road, including the park and ride used by hospital staff.

Police could not reveal how badly the woman has been injured, but the route has been closed until further notice.

The woman is believed to be the registered keeper of the vehicle and the car is registered to a Plymouth address.

Police say the car was not badly damaged.

It appears the woman may have fallen unconcious before the car rolled into the barrier at the park and ride, where it blocked the entrance.

Police were called to the scene by the ambulance service.

Staff trying to park in the carpark are being diverted to Plymouth City Airport and to other hospital car parks.

Diversions are in place around the Tavistock Road junction.

Police hoped to have part of the route reopened before 9am if the car could be recovered or moved. It is believed to have suffered nothing more than dents to its bonnet and a lost hubcap.

Check out the article for the pics of this horror smash.

I hope the woman is ok, but come on. Is this really front page news and do we really need road closures and misery for all concerned for what was probably a 1mph single car "accident?"

[Pannywagon]

And the best bit is, her car's inside the park and ride car park.

Why have they sealed off roads?

I'm guessing she was drunk, and that's why the Police have been called.

[Pannywagon]

GTO Scott said:

Lucky it wasn't over the border on the dark side of the Tamar. That accident would be a front page, centre pull-out feature and black border edition of the local rag here.

Oi! I happen to live on the "dark" side of the Tamar.

Um, yeah, you may have a point. As you were.

[Pannywagon]

The more I look at the fuss over this, the more embarrassed of Plymouth I become. Did they really have nothing better to do?

[Pannywagon]

dowahdiddyman said:

Pannywagon said:

The more I look at the fuss over this, the more embarrassed of Plymouth I become. Did they really have nothing better to do?

In Plymouth, probabaly not.

We've currently got a murder investigation happening in the city and there's always quite a lot of crime, but the Police do seem to enjoy throwing a lot of effort at nothing.

You should see them when they do a "ring of steel" around the city to hunt down uninsured drivers. Every major route in and out of the city flooded with 10-15 patrol cars, loads of bobbies on foot and an ANPR van. Such a waste of money.

Edited by Pannywagon on Friday 14th January 17:19

[Pannywagon]

paddyhasneeds said:

This does seem to happen quite a bit. I've driven past broken down vehicles before only to be passed by a police car coming the other way with blues on, followed shortly afterwards by another.

They could be going to something else, but it only seems to happen (or I only notice it) when I seem to have driven past a broken down car.

I know I've no idea if anyone is injured, and I accept it's more sensible to move a car out of the way than wait and have huge queues in rush hour etc. but it does often seem like overkill, if not in the number of police cars the nature of their arrival.

There is one thing we can tell from this. The woman in this story, whatever her injuries or their severity, didn't get them from that crash.

[Pannywagon]

Symbolica said:

Pannywagon said:

You should see them when they do a "ring of steel" around the city to hunt down uninsured drivers. Every major route in and out of the city flooded with 10-15 patrol cars, loads of bobbies on foot and an ANPR van. Such a waste of money.

IMO that's actually a very good use of their time/money.

Wouldn't it be better to do it by automatic ANPR at all times, then either summons in the post or visit the reg keeper later?

[Pannywagon]

swanny71 said:

My other half works in Derriford - the woman is in intensive care and seriously ill (nothing to do with the 'crash') so maybe that's why they closed the road........you know, to give the best care to somebody who needed it

The crash happened at 6:17am. The roads were still closed 4 hours later. What were they doing? Operating on her at the roadside? :roflmao: