Safety concerns had already been raised about the stretch of road where the Duke of Edinburgh was involved in a car crash on Thursday. Prince Philip was said to have been left “very shocked” following the accident, which saw his Land Rover overturned on its side following a collision with a Kia.
The local council will consider plans for new safety measures on the section of the A149 on Friday, including lowering the speed limit from 60mph to 50mph and implementing an average speed monitoring system.
Prince Philip, 97, escaped unhurt when his car was hit by the Kia as he drove near the Queen’s Sandringham Estate shortly before 3pm. The crash happened at the Babingley crossroads, where the B1439 meets the A149 – also called Queen Elizabeth Way – around seven miles north of King’s Lynn. There were 40 “personal injury accidents” – including five that were fatal and ten serious – in the six years to May 2018, on the same stretch of road.
Norfolk Police said officers were called to the Sandringham Estate shortly before 3pm “following reports of a collision involving two cars”. A spokesman added that police and ambulance crews attended and two people in one of the vehicles suffered minor injuries.
The Duke was seen later by a doctor as a precaution and confirmed he was not injured. However, an eyewitness said the 97-year-old was “obviously very shocked” following the incident. Roy Warne, 75, told The Sun that the Land Rover “came across the A149 like a somersault. It was turning on its side over and over”. He added: “It was frightening to see a powerful car rolling like that. I rushed to the other car – there was smoke coming out as if it may explode. There was a baby in the back seat screaming.”
