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The A46 in Lincolnshire is known as one of Britain’s most dangerous roads. This uncompromising biography of a ‘killer road’, made by Bafta winning filmmaker, Jonathan Smith, includes moving interviews with people who have lost loves ones to accidents along the infamous black-spot and examines how a split second decision can change lives forever.
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The second programme in the new season of Cutting Edge, Killer Road offers a unique perspective on the arbitrary nature of death and through a stark, filmic style dismantles how the loss of a loved one can cast a shadow over a family far beyond the tragic accident itself.
The film starts with the case of Kayla and Amy, two thirteen-year-old girls killed by a speeding drunk driver as they walked home along the footpath beside the A46 near Grimsby. Their mothers, Chrissie and Ilona, recall the agonising wait to discover which of the girls was dead and which was in intensive care. Ilona’s daughter, Amy, died at the scene and Chrissie’s daughter, Kayla, died later in hospital. Geoff Miller, an ex-soldier who witnessed the crash and would later be a key witness for the prosecution against the driver, describes the impact that witnessing the horrific accident has had on his own life.
Tracey Christian was driving home from her father’s house with her two children, Kimberley and Kayleigh, and her partner Wayne when a car crashed into them whilst trying to overtake. Wayne and Kimberley were killed and Kayleigh suffered serious head injuries. Tracey and her father talk about the aftermath. The crash happened over five years ago but Tracey still wishes they could have all died together because their lives have been a living hell since then.
Trevor Jassie was killed when a lorry suddenly turned in front of him on the A46. His older brother James was also driving along the road that morning and arrived at the scene of the crash to find his brother trapped and dying. James and his parents talk about the crash and how still today they struggle to come to terms with their loss.
Killer Road features candid interviews with people who have been responsible for the tragic deaths of others on the A46. Dave Smith fights back tears as he talks about how he killed a cyclist whilst driving home from work on a dark night. The cyclist veered out in front of him and despite giving him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation at the side of the road Dave was unable to save him. Dave talks about that night and how he copes each day with the fact that he has killed a man.
The film also looks at the impact these accidents have on the people whose jobs involve telling families the tragic news that will change their lives forever. PC Richard Precious recalls his first time delivering a ‘death message’ to a family after a fatal incident on the A46 and the impact this had on him.
