Person suffers leg injury following Bishop Thornton crash

A person was injured following a crash near Bishop Thornton this morning.

A witness told the Stray Ferret the collision happened at a crossroads on Fountains Road near the village.

North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue incident log said the collision happened at 10:12am. It said:

“Both Harrogate crews responded to a road traffic collision involving two vehicles.

“All casualties were out on arrival when fire crews arrived.”

The service added that crews helped with “scene safety” and causalities were transported to hospital in an ambulance.

A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police said the injured person suffered a “possible broken leg”.

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Pedestrian ‘serious but stable’ after Harrogate crash

A pedestrian is seriously ill in hospital after a crash on the A59 outside Shaws Trailer Park at Starbeck.

Emergency services were called to the A59 Knaresborough Road at 7.45am yesterday (Monday, December 18).

North Yorkshire Police said last night:

“A SsangYong Korando in grey which was travelling in the direction of Harrogate collided with a man in his 50s as he was crossing the road at the pelican crossing.

“The pedestrian is currently in a serious but stable condition in hospital.

“The driver of the SsangYong is assisting officers with their investigation.”

Officers are appealing for witnesses and dashcam footage.

You can email joseph.moore@northyorkshire.police.uk or dial 101 and ask to speak to the force control room.

If you wish to remain anonymous, you can pass information to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Quote reference number 12230239213.

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Teen airlifted to hospital after two-vehicle crash

An 18-year-old man was airlifted to hospital with serious injuries following a two-vehicle collision at Moor Monkton.

The man, who was a back seat passenger in a white Mazda 2, had to be extracted from the vehicle by firefighters.

Two other males from this vehicle, the 18-year-old driver and a 17-year-old front seat passenger, sustained what are believed to be minor injuries.

North Yorkshire Police today appealed for witnesses to the incident, which took place yesterday at 9.18am on Friday, December 15. It occurred on Marston Lane, between the junctions of Green Lane and Atterwith Lane.

The road is located off the A59 to York.

The crash involved the Mazda, which was heading south, and a grey Volkswagen Touareg SUV that was heading north.

The driver of the Volkswagen, a 33-year-old woman, suffered minor injuries. The three-year-old child in the vehicle was uninjured.

The stretch of road remained closed until 4.45pm while collision investigators worked at the scene and to allow both vehicles to be recovered.

Today’s police statement said:

“In support of the investigation, police are urging witnesses to the collision and motorists with relevant dashcam footage to come forward as soon as possible.

“Officers also want to hear from anyone who may have noticed either the white Mazda 2 or the grey Volkswagen Touareg prior to the incident.”

You can email martin.hayes@northyorkshire.police.uk or call North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2, and ask for Martin Hayes.

Quote reference number 12230237251 when providing information.

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Accused in Harrogate schoolboy crash didn’t check road was clear, court hears

A highly decorated colonel in the US military has gone on trial accused of causing serious injury to two Harrogate schoolboys by careless driving.

Benjamin Oakes, 46, was in a white Vauxhall Astra which pulled out of a junction at the end of a driveway next to Ashville College in Harrogate and collided with the back end of a Ford Ranger pick-up truck, York Magistrates’ Court heard.

Prosecutor Louise Berry said that the Ford Ranger, driven by Sam Goodall, had swerved in an attempt to avoid the Astra.

But the Astra clipped the back of the truck which careered across the road and mounted a pavement on the opposite side of Yew Tree Lane into the path of two teenagers who were walking along the footpath.

The truck struck both boys, who can’t be named for legal reasons, and ploughed through a wall at the edge of the college grounds.

Ms Berry said that at least one of the boys was “buried under the debris” and both were left with serious injuries including a horrific leg injury.

A pick-up trick has crashed into a wall outside Ashville College

The scene of the crash in February.

Ms Berry said it was the Crown’s case that Oakes, of Tewit Well Avenue, Harrogate, had caused the accident because he hadn’t checked that the way was clear before pulling out of the junction.

She said that Oakes’s Astra had been “edging” out of the junction before pulling out completely into the path of the Ford Ranger.

Witnesses said they saw the Astra “edging out” of the junction before “rolling back” and then pulling out again.

Oakes – who according to his Linked In profile was chief of the space policy division for the US joint chiefs of staff at the Pentagon – was charged with two counts of causing serious injury by careless driving.

He denied the allegations and appeared for trial today at the York court in front of district judge Adrian Lower.

‘Aggressive and inpatient’

Ms Berry said it was the Crown’s contention that Oakes had driven carelessly because he had failed to check if the road was “completely clear” before he pulled out.

A female motorist who witnessed the collision described Oakes’s driving in the moments before the crash as “aggressive and inpatient”.

She said he appeared to be “in a rush to leave the junction” before the collision with the pick-up truck driven by Mr Goodall, who said that following the crash Oakes told him: “I didn’t see you.”

Another witness said he saw the Astra pull out of the junction “too far” before “clipping” the back end of the Ford Ranger.

The onus is on the prosecution to prove that Oakes directly contributed to the subsequent collision with the teenagers by pulling out of the junction carelessly, giving the truck driver no chance to take sufficient evasive action to avoid contact with the Astra.

Oakes’s Linked In profile said he had held his current role, which involves directing space policy for the joint chiefs of staff at the Pentagon in Washington, for more than four years.

The joint chiefs of staff consist of the most senior leaders in the United States Department of Defense, who advise the president.

He was previously a political-military analyst in the space policy division and before that was commander of the operational support squadron in the US Airforce.

Hundreds of US military personnel are stationed at RAF Menwith Hill near Harrogate.

The trial continues.

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Ripon school raises £450 in memory of pupil killed in A61 crash

Holy Trinity Church of England School in Ripon raised £450 at an Elf Day held in memory of a former pupil.

Six-year-old Ihor Bartieniev, who was Ukrainian, died as a result of a collision on the A61 at South Stainley between Ripon and Harrogate in September.

Ihor’s mother Daria Bartienieva, 35, and stepsister Anastasiia Bartienieva, 15, were also killed in the crash.

To commemorate his life, the school held an elf-themed day last Friday.

Pupils wore elf hats and costumes, or green and red non-uniform clothing, and brought in donations to fund a story-telling chair in Ihor’s memory.

Deputy headteacher Amanda Bell-Walker said:

“Friday, December 1 was a day of both joy and remembrance for the Holy Trinity community as we came together to celebrate the life of Ihor.

“The children and staff looked wonderful, dressed in an array of elf-themed costumes as they all participated in activities arranged and organised by the Year 6 pupils.

“The aim of the day was one of fun, joy and fond memories.”

The school hopes the story-telling chair will be enjoyed by pupils and keep Ihor’s memory alive.

His host family were also in attendance on the day and shared memories of the young boy’s life, Ms Bell-Walker added.

“The chair will move up through school with Ihor’s peers as a fond memory of him as an inquisitive and much-loved part of the Holy Trinity family.”

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Car crashes into traffic lights at busy Harrogate junction

A car crashed into a set of traffic lights at the junction of Claro Road and Skipton Road in Harrogate this morning.

The white Vauxhall hit the lights at around 8:46am.

Police were called to the scene, but no other emergency services were present.

Harrogate traffic sergeant Paul Cording later tweeted nobody was injured.

The car was towed away just before 10am and traffic levels returned to normal shortly afterwards.

A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police said North Yorkshire Council is dealing with the traffic light repair.

 

Bus passenger death prompts visibility concerns on “dark” Harrogate road

The death of a man who had just got off a bus near Harrogate this week has prompted calls for better visibility on the unlit stretch of road.

The unnamed man, who was in his 90s, died after being hit by a vehicle on the A61 Ripon Road between New Park roundabout and Killinghall at about 5.50pm on Monday, November 6.

The man had just alighted at the northbound bus stop on the bridge close to the junction with Knox Mill Lane.

Councillor Monika Slater, a Liberal Democrat who represents Bilton Grange and New Park on North Yorkshire Council, contacted council officers after the incident. She said:

“It is a very dark stretch of road with a speed limit of 40mph and no central reservation. I feel that work could be done to improve the visibility for both drivers and pedestrians in that area.

“North Yorkshire Council need to ensure that bus stops are located in safe places and I have asked them to have a look at what they can do to increase the safety of  bus passengers using that stop.”

The unlit stretch of road where the collision occurred.

Cllr Slater received a response saying the council’s road safety team was working with North Yorkshire Police “to fully assess the incident and identify the cause”.

The council officer replied:

“This includes an assessment of the road condition, signs, lines and lighting in the area. Once the report is completed it goes to the North Yorkshire Council executive to review and this would include, if appropriate, any recommendations to alter any of the signs, lines, lighting, etc.

“This is not a quick process as the investigation is very detailed, but we will keep you appraised as this is progressed.”

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Air ambulance called after pedestrian injured in Boroughbridge

Firefighters and an air ambulance rescued a man trapped beneath a vehicle in Boroughbridge last night.

The pedestrian was struck by the vehicle on Springfield Road at about 7pm, according to North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service.

He was then flown to hospital in one of two local air ambulance call-outs last night — a person also required the service following a collision on the A61 Ripon Road.

The incident report said:

“One male was trapped under the vehicle and released by crews using stabilising gear and crew power.

“Crews provided first aid until arrival of air ambulance, who transported the male to hospital suffering a leg injury.”

Firefighters from Boroughbridge and Knaresborough attended the incident.

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Police car involved in Killinghall collision

A police car was involved in a two-vehicle crash in Killinghall today in which both drivers were taken to hospital.

North Yorkshire Police said it was contacted at 3.45pm today about a collision between a white Hyundai car and a police car on Otley Road.

It is believed the incident occurred at the junction with Grainbeck Lane.

The police statement said:

“Emergency services attended the scene. No serious injuries have been reported, but both drivers of the vehicles have attended hospital with minor injuries.

“Road closures were put in place between Lund Lane and Otley Road, to allow officers to determine the circumstances around the collision and to enable the vehicles to be recovered. These have now been lifted and the road is now open.”

It added:

“While the police car involved will have audio and video recordings of the collision, officers are still keen to hear from any other witnesses who saw the collision and/or recorded dashcam footage.”

Anyone with information can email Dan.Stoppard@northyorkshire.police.uk or dial 101 and ask to speak to traffic sergeant 880 Dan Stoppard quoting reference NYP-24102023-0320.

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Boy, 17, dies after car hits wall near Brimham Rocks

A 17-year-old boy has been killed after a car collided with a wall near Brimham Rocks, near Pateley Bridge.

The teenager, who has not been named, was a passenger in a grey Peugeot 107 when it hit the wall on Brimham Rocks Road at 6.50pm last night.

North Yorkshire Police today appealed for witnesses and information.

The force said in a statement:

“Tragically, a 17-year-old boy, a passenger in the 107 died at the scene of the collision. The boy’s family have been informed and are being supported by specially trained officers.

“Three other occupants were left with minor injuries and the driver is helping with the police with their enquiries.

“The road was closed for several hours to allow investigation work to take place at the scene of the collision.”

Police are urging anyone who saw the collision, or the car involved prior to the collision, to get in touch.

Brimham Rocks Road

Officers think that the car left the Fulford area of York at 11am on the same day and travelled to Brimham Rocks via Kirk Hammerton, Green Hammerton and Knaresborough.

They are particularly keen to hear from anyone who has captured any dashcam footage of the vehicle prior to the collision.

You can email Nicola.Peters@northyorkshire.police.uk or call 101 and ask for Nicola Peters.

Quote incident number 12230173187.

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