Barnsley man involved in collision waits over 10 weeks for visit from police officer

Howard Broomhead, aged 60, was walking home from his local pub, The Shaw Inn, when he was involved in a collision with a car at the junction of Raley Street and Racecommon Road, on Tuesday, February 16.

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He suffered a fractured skull and two bleeds on his brain in the collision, with his worried family fearing he may be affected for the rest of his life.

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The self-employed window cleaner, who has not been able to work since the collision, believes he was in the middle of the road when he was struck.

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But his daughter, Claire Waite, 38, claims officers at the scene on the night of the collision told her he had ‘stumbled off the kerb’ into the path of a car.

Mrs Waite, a mum-of-two, said she wants a thorough investigation into the incident and has criticised South Yorkshire Police for not yet interviewing her dad to obtain a statement.

It is believed that the driver of the car involved has also not provided a formal statement.

She has collected CCTV footage from cameras on the route her dad took on the night of the collision, which has not yet been viewed by officers.

Mrs Waite plans to launch an official complaint over the delay.

She said the family feels 'let down' by the force, claiming officers have made appointments to visit her dad but they have been cancelled and nearly 10 weeks on he is still waiting to provide a statement.

“It feels to us that nobody from South Yorkshire Police is interested in this case because if they were then somebody would have been out to see him before now. It has been over 10 weeks since it happened,” she said.

“The case seems to have gone backwards and forwards between departments with nobody taking ownership. When I’ve called for updates they have quoted shift patterns, holidays and emergency incidents but I think that the truth is that this is the reality of austerity – they have cut the force so much that there are not enough officers to do what is needed.

“Austerity can’t keep being used as an excuse. Other services, such as the NHS, still provide the service needed despite the cuts.

“I should not have had to walk the streets looking for CCTV cameras to find footage for the police but if I hadn’t it could have all been wiped over by the time an officer went looking for it.

“This isn’t going to go away. My dad was seriously injured and we need to know that a thorough investigation has been carried out to find out what exactly happened.”

In a statement issued today, South Yorkshire Police said officers are due to visit Mr Broomhead this week.

The force said: “Police are continuing to investigate a road traffic collision which occurred at the junction of Raley Street and Racecommon Road in Barnsley at around 9.30pm on February 16.

“During the incident, a 60-year-old man suffered head injuries after he was struck by a white five-door saloon.

“Our officers contend with an extremely heavy workload, including many urgent calls and enquiries. In recent weeks the team has handled a number of fatal road traffic collisions, which often require long and complex investigations.

“Whilst we recognise the upset any road traffic incident can cause for victims and their families, faced with these challenges, officers must deal with the most serious and complex cases first.”

Witnesses or anyone with information should call South Yorkshire Police on 101 and quote incident 1,083 of February 16.