A MAN, left for dead after a hit and run incident in Mossley, is calling for action and measures to be put in place to stop speeding on Manchester Road.
Norman Wiseley – known locally as ‘Storming Norman’ – had just left The Tollemache Arms on April 19 at about 7.20pm when he was hit by silver Vauxhall Corsa which was heading away from Greenfield.
He says the Corsa came speeding down the hill, hit another car and bounced off, lost control and ploughed into him as he waited to cross the road.
He recalls how the car pinned him against the safety barrier, dragged him along and then flipped him over the wall as the driver failed to stop.
Norman, who lives in Greenfield, suffered a broken leg, damaged right knee, hairline fracture in his pelvis and burst blood vessels, and spent two-and-a-half weeks in the Manchester Royal Infirmary.
Now he is calling for measures to be put in place to reduce speeding on the road, which is a known hot spot and has numerous safety barriers.
“I want to make people aware of the dangers and stop this from happening to someone else,” Norman said. “It’s a very dangerous road and people are always speeding.
“I’ve spoken to Tameside Council Highways about coming out to do a survey and patrol to check people’s speeds, but more needs to be done.
“There are two nurseries on the road, lots of houses and people always walking about. There could be a fatal accident if something isn’t put in place.”
Norman is making a steady recovering but still is not able to drive and will have to have an operation on his right knee if it doesn’t improve by Christmas.
The accident has also put a stop to his fundraising efforts, which have seen him raise thousands of pounds over the years for Macmillan nurses.
But he thanked members of the public living nearby and in the pub who came to his aid and prevented the outcome being much worse.
“The neighbours and people in the Tollemache were fantastic and rushed over to help,” said Norman.
“I want to thank everyone who helped when it happened and also all our friends for helping me and Lisa afterwards, especially Carol Boardman who has gone out of her way to help.”
Gel McDermott, who runs The Tollemache with husband Mark, was one of the first to get to Norman after hearing the collision.
“We heard an almighty bang and everybody jumped up but didn’t know what had happened,” she explained.
“We went rushing up the road to help and someone ran the other way to see if the car had stopped but it hadn’t. We realised Norman had been hit and so rang the police and ambulance.
“One witness who was driving on the other side of the road saw it in his mirror and stopped to help. But no-one managed to get the car reg, which is what the police really need.
“Our CCTV isn’t working properly and we have been trying for ages to get it fixed, so we had nothing to give to the police.
“It was really traumatic for poor Norman, who was just left for dead.”
She added: “Residents are always complaining about the speed of cars coming down the hill and we have witnessed it many times.
“I have two young grandchildren and when I’m walking with them I always cross over the road so I am not on that side.
“One lady has had a car through her kitchen window twice. There are barriers but that doesn’t stop them speeding. It is an absolute racetrack sometimes and it’s scary.”
A GMP spokesperson confirmed: “Enquiries suggest that a silver Vauxhall Corsa was involved in the incident.
“Work to locate the vehicle and the driver are ongoing. No arrests have been made.”
A Tameside Council spokesperson said: “We’re sorry to hear of Mr Wiseley’s injuries and wish him a quick recovery.
“We are not aware of any recent approach to carry out a survey in this location.
“Work to make the carriageway seem narrower and encourage driver compliance with the speed limit, as well as installing the safety barriers, has already been carried out on this section of the road.
“Quieter roads during lockdowns have seen an increase in reports of speeding and poor driver behaviour and we would urge all motorists to abide by the laws and take responsibility to keep people safe.
“We are working with Greater Manchester Police to bring incidents down and are holding a Tameside Road Safety Awareness Week (June 21) involving officers with speed camera equipment at the roadside throughout hotspot areas of the borough.
“There will also be community engagement outside local schools with advice on parking, education and possible issuing of tickets if required.
“The week will be followed by a summer long awareness raising campaign on road safety.”
• Anyone with information should contact police on 0161 856 4741, quoting incident number 2698 of 19/04/2021 or anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Or if you want to pass on information directly to Norman, call him on 07471 000983.