Danger road 'must be made safer'

A CITY councillor is calling on the county council to make improvements to a stretch of road where a young father was killed.

Steven Pamon died in the early hours of Saturday when his car hit a tree.

The 26-year-old, of Tredegar Avenue, Oakwood, was on his way to Bombardier, where he worked as a train fitter, when he crashed in Acorn Way.

As reported in the Derby Telegraph yesterday, three serious accidents have happened on the road since January, with a total of 16 crashes there in the last three years.

Derbyshire police said the road was "difficult to navigate" as it was unlit and could be prone to flooding, but none of the other crashes happened in the same stretch as Mr Pamon's.

The road is maintained by Derby City Council, except for a mile-long stretch where Mr Pamon's accident happened. This is the responsibility of Derbyshire County Council.

Now, Councillor Frank Harwood, who represents Oakwood, is backing calls for action from Mr Pamon's widow, Michelle. He said: "As I live in Oakwood I'm well aware of the sad history of Acorn Way and I send my condolences to Steven Pamon's family and friends.

"I visited the scene of the accident on Saturday afternoon. I understand that the place of the accident on Acorn Way is the responsibility of Derbyshire County Council.

"I have contacted the council today to see what improvements can be made to the road to make it safer."

The county council previously said it would consider introducing measures to "try to prevent further accidents."

Meanwhile, an inquest into the death of Mr Pamon, who played football for Spondon Rovers, has been opened and adjourned.

His widow, Michelle, who is expecting their second child in February, told Derby Coroner's Court how she went to the scene after hearing from a family member about the crash.

It was there that she identified her husband's body.

PC Jason Graves, of Derbyshire police's road policing unit, told the inquest yesterday that officers first arrived at the scene at about 6.05am.

He said: "We found a Vauxhall Corsa on the offside of the verge. It looked like it had been in collision with a tree."

PC Graves said paramedics were called but Mr Pamon was pronounced dead at the scene.

Derby and South Derbyshire deputy coroner Louise Pinder adjourned the inquest pending further police inquiries.

Yesterday, Derbyshire police said it was looking at whether the weekend's heavy rain had played a part in the crash.

PC Dave Harris, a senior forensic collision investigator, urged drivers to check their tyres as more heavy rain was forecast.

He said: "Hitting a pool of standing water at speed, especially in the dark, is bad enough but trying to regain control of a car when the back end has unexpectedly 'stepped-out' is a huge challenge for any driver."

Click here to leave a tribute to Steven Pamon