Mother calls for new street lights (From Barry And District News)

Mother calls for new street lights

A BARRY mother has called for better street lighting on the road where her son lost his life last September.

The coroner's report and a police investigation in the death both said street lighting on the road near Mountain Ash, where David Stimpson, 19, died, was poor.

Suzanne Stimpson, 39, of Spring Street, said: "It is about time street lighting on that stretch of road was improved. It has claimed a number of lives and we would not want anyone to go through the suffering that we have been through."

A coroner's inquest last week recorded a verdict of accidental death after Julian Stimpson was hit by a car and thrown into the path of on-coming vehicles on Septem-ber 20 last year, the night before his 19th birthday.

David had been on the road near Mountain Ash Compre-hensive when the collision occurred shortly after 10.15pm.

Coroner Philip Walters recorded a verdict of accidental death after hearing the evidence.

No charges were brought against any of the parties involved.

A police investigation into the death and the coroner's report found that the lack of street lighting in the area may have contributed to the accident.

Paul Cooke, the driver of the vehicle that collided with David Stimpson, told Mer-thyr Coroner's Court: "As I arrived near the school by the bridge, the windscreen on the vehicle just disintegrated.

"I thought someone had chucked something. I stopped the car and got out and walked back.

"I could see David lying there and I was trying to stop vehicles coming the other way while phoning for an ambulance."

Michael Weekes, a paramedic, who was a passenger in a car travelling in the other direction, said: "I could see a dark article lying in the road on our side, I could not make out what it was and the vehicle went over this object.

"I realised it could have been a person and stopped."

Mr Weekes had tried to give first aid at the scene, but David died from his injuries shortly afterwards at Prince Charles Hospital.