Accident driver joins call for road inquiry

A recovery driver checks out the overturned Land Rover on Ripponden Road near the badly damaged wall.

An Oldham driver is joining the campaign for an investigation into a road surface where there have been a series of crashes and a fatal accident.

Wendy Fotherigham (42 ), from Royton, says she was lucky to be alive after her Land Rover Discovery slid and overturned on Ripponden Road during heavy rain.

Mrs Fotherigham, administrator at Moorhaven care home in Ripponden Road, was driving home from work in a cloudburst on Friday when the accident happened at around 5.30 pm.

She said: “I know the road really well, I drive along it every day.

“My vehicle has just had all new tyres, and just passed its MOT. I don’t like the road, and I was doing 30 to 35 mph no more.

“I was going uphill towards Grains Bar, not fast, and my Land Rover just wobbled on the bend skidded across the road, went up the bank and tipped over.

“The police came and agreed I could not have been going fast because the air bags didn’t deploy. I would have hit the wall, except there is no wall left, there have been so many crashes on it.

“I don’t know how I got out, but I’d like to thank all the people who came to help me. I was shaken and bruised and fell on to my right arm, but otherwise unhurt.”

As she returned to work yesterday, a friend telephoned her to say she had seen another car on its side at the same point.

Last week former councillor John Anchor, who lives near by, called for an investigation into the road surface after seeing a series of crashes on the 40mph road near the former Besom Hill brickworks

Mrs Fotherigham, whose car was a £3,000 write off, said: “I’ve been to see a solicitor and I’m writing to the council to find out what works they have done to prevent crashes on this road.”

She also plans to contact Mr Anchor, who has asked Oldham Council to check out the road surface on this stretch of the road.