THE father of a Redditch teenager who died in a car crash says his son’s death could have been prevented if barriers were installed on the dual carriageways.
Nineteen year old Ollie Sellers died after a crash on the A4023 Coventry Highway in Redditch on May 27, when a car coming from the other direction crossed the central grass embankment before hitting Ollie’s car.
His family believe that Ollie– a “fantastic, caring and funny” son to parents Paul and Tracy, and brother to Jarod and Ryan – would still be alive today had crash barriers been in place.
The family launched a petition last week calling for barriers to be installed on all dual carriageways in Redditch and so far it has already gathered more than 1,500 signatures.
Paul said: “Ollie would be alive today if crash barriers were installed – it’s as simple as that.
“When you’re on a dual carriageway and there aren’t any crash barriers, you are just so vulnerable. It’s very scary as all it takes is a minor loss of concentration and in that split second you could lose control and be amongst oncoming traffic.
“For everybody’s benefit and Ollie’s legacy, we must do this simple work as soon as possible and prevent these avoidable deaths.
“Let’s not put other families through the heartache we’re suffering.”
The whole family are behind the campaign, which has also been supported by Redditch MP Rachel Maclean.
County councillor Alan Amos, cabinet member with responsibility for highways, said: “Our condolences go to the family of Ollie Sellers at what must be an extremely difficult time.
“In Worcestershire we take road safety very seriously and it’s one of our top priorities.
“We look forward to receiving the petition and will be considering the matter in detail.”
Visit http://bit.ly/2tW4HxV to sign the petition.
