Calls to make Hook Road Epsom railway bridge safer after lorry and car crash

The crash in Hook Road, Epsom, on Thursday came two years after a City Link lorry hit the same bridge in May 2011.

Dr Robert McCaffrey, who works in East Street, said both lorries got stuck under the bridge in similar circumstances.

Dr McCaffrey said: "It's obvious that the signage warning drivers of the bridge is inadequate. For it to happen once is careless, but for it to happen twice is inexcusable."

Scene of the crash on Thursday

He called for improvements to signs for lorry drivers approaching the bridge and lines on the road to show the way to pass through safely.

He also suggested that perhaps lines delineating lanes could be removed or there could be a single lane with priority for drivers going north.

He said: "Unless the signage is improved, or the road regulations changed, it's only a matter of time until it happens again!

"Or maybe they need to replace this antiquated bridge with something a bit more modern and less likely to be bashed?"

Scene of the crash in May 2011

A Network Rail spokesman said trains passed over the bridge at a slower speed than normal for two hours while engineers carried out an inspection on Thursday.

He said paint marks were left on the bridge, adding: "The bridges are really strong, 99.9 percent of the time we have railway strikes the vehicles come off worse.

"All the bridges are clearly marked and have height indicators on them. It’s the responsibility of the motorist or driver to know the height.

"Our responsibility is to make sure the bridge is in good working order and clearly marked for drivers."

Photo: Kobbie Boafo-Nartey

Epsom firefighter Sean Massey, who attended the crash, said: "It looked as though the lorry had an impact on one side of the bridge and that pushed it to the other side.

"There was a vehicle coming in the opposite direction which it sort of fell onto."

He said the driver managed to get out of the Audi before firefighters arrived at the scene. He said: "The driver of the lorry was a middle-aged man. He was shocked and shaken up."

Photo: Dr Robert McCaffrey

An employee for transport company Bedfords, whose vehicle was involved in Thursday's crash, said they need to look at the lorry’s camera footage, which is currently with police, before deciding whether to review the route.

She said: "It’s a route we have used regularly before on a weekly basis with similar sorts of vehicles."

A South East Coast Ambulance Service spokesman said the lorry driver had an injured arm and was taken to Epsom Hospital, but there were no other injuries.

He said: "It looks like it was a lucky escape."

Do you think the bridge needs to be made safer? Leave a comment below or email alice.foster@london.newsquest.co.uk.