Tragedy struck on the A1 near Grantham as a seven-month-old infant passed away in hospital following a crash, with Lincolnshire Police probing whether icy conditions played a part. Officers attended the scene shortly after 10:50 pm Thursday when a yellow Honda Jazz left the southbound carriageway and collided with a tree before rejoining the road around 500 yards from the Spittlegate junction.
Sadly, the baby was declared dead just after 5 am after receiving initial treatment at the crash site. A woman in the same car is in serious condition, while two others escaped with non-serious injuries.
The A1’s southern lane has been closed for over 12 hours as investigations into the cause of the devastating accident are underway. Emergency services including Lincolnshire Police, East Midlands Ambulance Service and the local Air Ambulance were present.
According to a spokesperson from Lincolnshire Police: “The road was closed in both directions while emergency services worked, and the southbound carriageway remains closed by Highways while they carry out investigative work along the roadside. We are now investigating the cause of the collision, and while we are keeping an open mind, we are considering whether this was linked to icy conditions on the carriageway in that area.
“We are asking for help from anyone who may have been driving in that area over the past few days to get in touch with information or dashcam they may have which show conditions over the past few days. We would also be keen to view any footage of the collision itself and ask that anyone who was travelling in that area who we have not yet spoken with to get in touch.”, reports the Mirror.
Anyone with information or footage is urged to contact the Serious Collision Investigation Team via email on SCIUinvestigators@lincs. police.uk, quoting incident number 382 of 2 January in the subject line, or via phone on 01522 212316, quoting the same incident number.
Police are investigating whether icy conditions contributed to the crash as the UK faces two new amber weather warnings for snow and ice across large parts of England and Wales. A warning for snow and freezing rain covering most of Wales and central England is in place from 6pm on Saturday to midday on Sunday, according to the Met Office.
The second warning for snow, covering most of northern England, has been issued from 9pm on Saturday to midnight on Sunday. Up to 30cm of snowfall is expected locally in both warning areas, with 3 to 7cm likely in other areas.
This follows a series of yellow weather warnings already issued across the UK by the forecaster between Friday and Monday.