Call for village road safety measures as shocking footage shows moment grandad was trapped when car crashes into wall

Shocking footage of the collision shows the moment the vehicle smashes into the property after colliding with another car.

One of the drivers fled the scene, leaving 64-year-old retired firefighter Stephen Watson trapped beneath the debris.

Mr Watson, from Otley, had been visiting his daughter and grandchildren at their home on Cow Lane, Havercroft, when the incident happened on February 5 this year.

Mr Watson’s daughter Emily told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “It was shocking how it happened in a split second.

“My dad was at the side of my house next to the garden wall.

“The next thing there was debris everywhere and he was trapped under one of the big brick pillars.”

Mr Watson was rescued by firefighters before being taken to hospital with chest and lung injuries.

He has since been discharged but continues to receive treatment.

Emily added: “The garden swings my children play on were also sent flying.

“My kids are just two and four years old and there is no way they would have survived if they had been playing on them at the time.

“It still terrifies me to think about what could have happened.

“So many different scenarios go over and over in your mind.”

Havercroft residents and local councillors are now calling for speed cameras and greater road safety measures to be put in place to protect residents along Cow Lane.

A petition signed by 700 people has been handed to Coun Matthew Morley, Wakefield Council’s cabinet member for planning and highways.

Emily, 26, added: “I moved here four and a half years ago and it is a lovely place to bring up children.

“But something really needs to be done to protect people on that stretch of road.

“It is crazy some of the speeds that drivers reach along Cow Lane.”

Maureen Cummings, councillor for Crofton, Ryhill and Walton ward, said arrangements are being made to install bollards to protect properties.

She said: “We have been calling for more measures to be put in place in the village for some considerable time.

“There are flashing signs warning people about their speeds but some drivers just do not take any notice.

“We want more to be done to protect residents and properties so no one else is subjected to the same thing that Emily and her family have had to go through.”

West Yorkshire Police confirmed two men have been arrested on suspicion of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

Both men have been released while an investigation continues.

Gary Blenkinsop, Wakefield Council’s service director for environment and streetscene, said: “We are aware of the incident on Cow Lane and completely understand people’s concerns.

“We take road safety very seriously and are considering measures and improvements that can be made on Cow Lane to make it safer.”