Improvements made on 'notorious' Yorkshire road after woman, 21, dies in crash

It has been working to improve drainage on the A6068 Colne Road in Craven, after Sasha-Raven Marie Brown lost control when she hit a patch of water on the road and then died in a head-on collision, on January 19 last year.

An inquest examining the death, which was held in Northallerton earlier this week, heard water runs off surrounding fields and across the road, following heavy rain and snow.

Assistant coroner John Broadbridge said he will call on North Yorkshire County Council to review that “notorious” stretch of road in a Prevention of Future Death report, as there have been a number of crashes in recent years during periods of wet weather.

Speaking at the inquest, the coroner said: “The engineering of the roadway needs to change to cope with this flow of water that people have identified.

“It has been the main cause of this incident, together with Miss Brown’s inexperience and speed.”

Barrie Mason, the council’s assistant director for Highways and Transportation, said the council will consider the coroner’s comments “very carefully” and respond in due course.

Mr Mason added: “We would like to send our condolences to Miss Brown’s family and all who knew her.

“Following the collision, we conducted a fatal accident investigation jointly with North Yorkshire Police in accordance with our established practice.

“We have also carried out a detailed investigation of the drainage system and enhanced the frequency of gully cleansing on the A6068.”

Speaking after the inquest, Jackie Brown paid tribute to her daughter.

She said: "I would like to say how shocked and devastated I am for the loss of Sasha-Raven and her life ending so tragically when it had only just started.

“It has been an extremely difficult year since the accident, coming to terms with the actual reality of losing a loving daughter so unexpectedly.

“I would like to thank everyone who stopped at the accident site and stayed with my daughter until the emergency services arrived. I would also like to thank the emergency services for everything they did on that day also.”