Van crashes through makeshift safety barrier at West Lothian 'accident blackspot'

Residents of a West Lothian village had to rescue a van driver after his vehicle ploughed through a makeshift safety barrier at an “accident blackspot” on Saturday morning.

The Birmingham-based driver was shaken but unhurt after his Transit van crashed down the embankment from the railway bridge at Harburn.

Villager Alistair Hutson told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “Thankfully or rather, miraculously, the driver was uninjured following this accident.

“Local residents attended the scene and called the emergency services. The van was recovered later in the morning by local farmer who used his tractor to pull him up through the field.”

Locals say they found themselves facing speeding drivers as they tried to slow traffic in the aftermath of the crash before police arrived.

The accident came only a day after the LDRS revealed a spate of accidents at the bridge, and the fact that villagers have become first responders in helping free people from vehicles after crashes around the bridge and the near 90 degree bend on the southern side.

The latest driver fell foul of the sharp turn on Saturday driving through a makeshift barrier installed by the council after a motorcyclist hit the original one a month ago.

There have been almost a dozen accidents in Harburn since the beginning of the year – including five in the space of a fortnight.

A report on potential safety measures will go before councillors at the next meeting of the local area committee, Fauldhouse and the Breich Valley, early next month

A West Lothian council spokesperson said: “We are aware that another road traffic accident has taken place at the Harburn Railway Bridge.

“Our contractors are currently awaiting the delivery of parts to repair the safety barrier. In the meantime the temporary barriers will remain in place.

“The B7008 has already been identified by our annual Accident Investigation and Prevention process for investment as part of our casualty reduction scheme, with the design process for the works to improve road safety under way.

“We would encourage drivers to take care while driving on rural roads.”