Newark teen’s trauma sparks road safety concerns after he was struck by van on Eton Avenue, Newark

Residents are calling for road safety measures after a teenager was seriously injured when he was struck by a van.

The 17-year-old remains in hospital following last week’s incident opposite the Londis convenience store on Eton Avenue, Newark.

The driver stopped at the scene, and has not been arrested. Police attended and are investigating the cause of the collision, which is not yet known.

Following the incident, residents called for speed bumps or a speed camera.

Eton Avenue resident Ester Webb said: “The road is such a long stretch so cars can pick up their speed. They can just bomb it down there.

“It has been an accident waiting to happen.”

Ester said she watched as the boy was struck and went over the bonnet of the vehicle.

She said: “He was lucky to be alive.

“It scares me. I have two children and I don’t really let them out of the property because of the dangers around here.

“If it would have been one of my children or an elderly person they wouldn’t have stood a chance.”

Ester said the teenager was made to wait more than an hour for an ambulance.

Ben Holdaway, director of operations at East Midlands Ambulance Service, said: “We are deeply sorry that we were unable to get to the patient sooner and we recognise the distress that this will have caused the patient and those trying to assist at the time.

“We would like to speak to the family and urge them to get in touch with us at their earliest convenience.

“Every 999 call is assessed based on the information provided by the caller and people experiencing a life-threatening emergency such as cardiac arrest to be seen first.

“Colleagues and volunteers are working tirelessly to get to people who need our help in an emergency and we apologise that on this occasion we were not able to respond as quickly as we would have wanted.”

A doctor in a response car arrived on scene 40 minutes after the initial 999 call.

Nottinghamshire Police is appealing for witnesses to the incident.

A spokesman said: “Officers were called to Eton Avenue, Newark, at around 8.40pm on Tuesday, January 11, when a teenage boy was struck by a car.

“The drivers involved in the collision remained at the scene and several witness statements were taken.

“Nobody was arrested and our investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with additional information is asked to call 101, quoting incident 651 of January 11.”