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Chris,15, victim of ‘death-mile’
Reporter: Usma Raja
Date online: 15 June 2009
A 15-YEAR-OLD boy has died after being struck by a car — the eighth victim on “death-mile”, a notorious stretch of Lees Road, Salem.
Chris Dale was crossing near the junction with Wellyhole Street when he was in collision with Mini Cooper at around 10.15pm on Saturday.
The Blue Coat School pupil, who said he one day wanted to be Prime Minister, suffered serious head injuries and was taken to the Royal Oldham Hospital, where he died.
Yesterday, his friends gathered at the scene to lay floral tributes.
Friends have also set up a group on the social networking site Facebook in Chris’s memory.
The teenager’s distraught uncle, Graham Hirst, described Chris as a bubbly boy.
He added: “I can’t believe what’s happened. Everybody loved him. He had a wicked sense of humour and said he wanted to be Prime Minister.”
Kieren Hollinworth, who had been to the Lighthouse Inn near to the scene of the crash, said: “I walked out of the pub and saw police cars and an ambulance.
“The windscreen of the Mini Cooper was smashed like it had hit someone.”
Ian Brimlow, landlord of the Lighthouse Inn, added: “A cordon was put in place for five hours while officers dealt with the incident.”
“I’d gone out for a cigarette when the accident had just happened. I closed the pub to stop people going out to have a nosey.”
The stretch of road now has a shocking death toll of eight lives in 15 years — and numerous less serious accidents.
Lees Road, the main route to Uppermill and Greenfield from Oldham, goes down a long straight hill at Leesbrook and then into a left-hand bend.
In 1994, 15-year-old Michelle Larkin, of Lowside Drive, Glodwick, and 23-year-old Arif Hussain (22), of Clinton Walk, Glodwick, were killed when the Toyota Tercel they were in ploughed into the Lighthouse Inn.
Yards from that spot in January, 2001, 81-year-old Doris Harvey was killed when she was hit by a car.
Later that year, 19-year-old Billy Bevan, of Hollin Hall Street, Clarksfield, died when his car hit the wall at Lees Brook Mill.
In 2002, Mark Andrew Harrison (20), of Carnation Road, Holts, was killed when his Vauxhall Nova GTE hit a pelican crossing pole.
Then, just before Christmas, 2003, the road claimed the lives of 16-year-old friends Christian Leyden, of Springhead, and Anthony Hughes, of Greenfield, passenger’s in Anthony’s mother’s car which crashed.
Traffic police are appealing for any witnesses to the latest crash to contact the Road Policing Unit on 0161-856 8473.
Comments
this is a terrible accident but nearly all of these that have occured on this stretch of road have been caused by driving at high speeds. there is a speed limit of 30! its there for a reason! maybe a camera is needed here to prevent future accidents?
What a dreadful waste of such a young life. So sad.
so many deaths on one short stretch of road yet nothing ever gets done, yet whenever people suggest that camera's are simply revenue earners we are told they are all placed at the site of fatal accidents to make it safer. Obviously not the case in oldham then.
the accident in 2003 that killed the 2 15 year olds was the result of a reckless driver coming down wellyhole st. A camera on lees rd wouldnt stop that.
Before anyone says speed cameras are the answer they actually need to look at the appalling design of the road layout that led to this accident. Anyone who regularly drives down Leesbrook towards Oldham cuts the corner of the bend and then is pushed further towards the middle of the road and oncoming traffic by the bus lane. The Highways Department at Oldham Council ought to be held accountable for this terrible piece of road design.
maybe a camera is needed here to prevent future accidents,
maybe prison sentences are needed for people that speed instead of points and a fine. What a waste of a young man life RIP Chris our thoughts are with your family
One big prolemn is drivers not giving a dam, I nearly got knocked down on the same night and that was on the crossing with the lights on red... And it not the first time
pro drivers got a point! the road layout is badly designed! this is OMBC's fault and they should be held responsible.
Prodriver has it bang on. Drivers coming down the hill from lees seem to get target fixation on a point further up lees road and they just dont take any notice of the oncoming traffic. If you are waiting to turn up burton street the traffic is just inches away from you despite there being plenty of room. A camera there may slow the traffic, but some of the accidents on that stretch have involved joyriders & drivers being pursued by the police so wouldn't be of any use.
I live on lees rd and cars are constantly speeding along day and night. I think its time the government introduced stricter laws for these offenders such as a ban for life rather than a few points on the licence. Also if you cause a death by speeding you should serve a year in prison for every mile over the speed limit you are. Thing have to get tougher as people just seem to be doing what they want, regardless of the effect it has on others.
Have Your Say
TRAFFIC LIGHTS AND ROAD HUMPS ARE NEEDED ON THIS ROAD
By kardan @ 15/06/2009 12:51:08