Calls for yellow lines at industrial estate where woman was fatally hit by lorry

An inquest heard that Sarah Lewis, 62, of Weymouth, had been waiting for a taxi in Lynch Lane and decided to cross the road when she was hit as the lorry reversed into McKay Close.

A coroner said Ms Lewis was 'completely unaware of the lorry’s presence' after hearing that she was dealing with a face mask that was tangled in her bag.

Karl Stanton, the driver of the lorry, said he was forced to reverse the large vehicle because of the number of parked cars on Lynch Lane.

Police at the scene of a fatal collision on Lynch Lane, Weymouth

He said he turned off his radio, checked his mirrors and the road but couldn’t see Ms Lewis, adding: ‘On that day I just could not see anybody at all.’

During the inquest the coroner was informed that double yellow lines were at the site and commented that she was 'very pleased that double yellow lines have been added to the site to reduce the number of parked cars there'.

However, there are no double yellow lines on Lynch Lane. Following a site assessment after the accident, access protection markings were put along the road.

Access protection markings are white 'H' shaped lines, sometimes called H bars, painted onto the road to draw attention to a driveway or access. These white lines are advisory markings and have no legal standing.

Harold Doonan, owner of Doonans, a ready mix concrete supplier located on McKay Close, said that cars parked on the road is still an issue and that people frequently ignore the white lines and park on top of them.

Harold Doonan, owns Doonans on McKay Close. Picture: Dorset Echo

He said: "The whole area is totally over developed. It's another accident waiting to happen. That poor lady lost her life because of it.

"I get stressed because I have lorries that have to go up and down this road too - it can be an absolute nightmare."

Mr Doonan, aged 77, of Weymouth, said that people park on the road and leave their vehicles there for extended periods of time. He said that after the incident police came to look and a lot of the vehicles on the street were taken away. He said the road had been used as a "dumping ground" for abandoning vehicles and that despite the situation initially improving, he fears that the road is returning to a similar state as before the tragedy.

Mr Doonan said he would like to see double yellow lines introduced.

Lynch Lane in Weymouth was shut for several hours while police investigated the woman's death. Picture: Dorset Echo

A Dorset Council spokesperson said: “Following this tragic incident we conducted a site assessment with Dorset Police to assess the area for contributing highway factors, and it was observed that vehicles were parking very close to junctions and accesses in contravention of the Highway Code.

“Access protection markings were installed along Lynch Lane in February this year and, along with a letter to businesses and a visit from local police officers, this has worked well at keeping these areas clear.”