Close to home
28 April 2007 17:54![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mandragoraSo, something woke me up in the early hours last night, and I heard sirens etc. But as I live in London I hear emegency services sounds all the time and didn't think anything of it.
Until I tried to drive to the supermarket. Road at the end of mine, leading to the North Circular, was cordoned off. Now the North Circ is the main arterial road across the whole of North London. It's actually classified as a motorway, as it's a multi-lane highway for the most part. So, if the North Circ is closed, a large part of North London grinds to a halt.
And, oh, did it ever. I drove round some backstreets to try and take an alternative route to the supermarket. But all the backstreets were gridlocked. I'd never seen 'em like that before, not even during rush-hour. Gave up in the end, turned round and came back home and set off to walk to another, closer, supermarket to pick up a few things to tied me over until tomorrow.
I figured that there must have been some sort of serious accident to close down the North Circ, and as I crossed over the North Circ on route I saw one of the vehicles involved being taken away. Took one look at it and knew there must have been a fatality - there's no way anyone would have survived in that car. Asked a police officer when the road would be reopened and they were hoping for within the hour - but that was a good 12 hours after the accident happened.
Got home, to find that the accident was on the news (BBC report is at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/6602905.stm). Turns out it involved a police chase, and pedestrians crossing the road - the same part of the road that I'd just walked across and cross every time I walk to the park, or to the local village (London is largely made up of a combination of villages) - at least one of whom was killed outright and the other is in intensive care.
The driver of the car, a BMW, that was being chased is alive. The driver of the car he or she collided with (a Citroen, and the car I'd seen being removed from the scene) is dead. Sadly, the blameless driver, and pedestrian, have paid the price for the other driver's criminal behaviour.
Until I tried to drive to the supermarket. Road at the end of mine, leading to the North Circular, was cordoned off. Now the North Circ is the main arterial road across the whole of North London. It's actually classified as a motorway, as it's a multi-lane highway for the most part. So, if the North Circ is closed, a large part of North London grinds to a halt.
And, oh, did it ever. I drove round some backstreets to try and take an alternative route to the supermarket. But all the backstreets were gridlocked. I'd never seen 'em like that before, not even during rush-hour. Gave up in the end, turned round and came back home and set off to walk to another, closer, supermarket to pick up a few things to tied me over until tomorrow.
I figured that there must have been some sort of serious accident to close down the North Circ, and as I crossed over the North Circ on route I saw one of the vehicles involved being taken away. Took one look at it and knew there must have been a fatality - there's no way anyone would have survived in that car. Asked a police officer when the road would be reopened and they were hoping for within the hour - but that was a good 12 hours after the accident happened.
Got home, to find that the accident was on the news (BBC report is at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/6602905.stm). Turns out it involved a police chase, and pedestrians crossing the road - the same part of the road that I'd just walked across and cross every time I walk to the park, or to the local village (London is largely made up of a combination of villages) - at least one of whom was killed outright and the other is in intensive care.
The driver of the car, a BMW, that was being chased is alive. The driver of the car he or she collided with (a Citroen, and the car I'd seen being removed from the scene) is dead. Sadly, the blameless driver, and pedestrian, have paid the price for the other driver's criminal behaviour.
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no subject
Date: 30 April 2007 17:49 (UTC)The pedestrian who died was a 26 years old lawyer, and the driver of the other car (who also died) was a taxi-driver.
Interestingly, although I gleaned this from the local news, my mother, who lives in Yorkshire knew all about it, as well. So, it must have made the national news, as well.
no subject
Date: 1 May 2007 12:11 (UTC)