Milan Peter HAMZA (Otherwise known as Milan Peter RADOCZ) · Prevention of Future Deaths report

On 03.09.22 I commenced an investigation into the death of Milan Peter HAMZA (Otherwise known as Milan Peter RADOCZ), aged 8 years. The investigation concluded at the end of the inquest on 07.03.23. The conclusion of the inquest was:

Medical cause of death:- 1a Drowning

Inquest Conclusion – Road Traffic Collision

Milan was the front seat passenger in a vehicle travelling west along Old Oundle Road, Wittering at about 1035hrs on 03.09.22. The vehicle failed to negotiate a sharp left hand bend, left the carriageway to the offside before it entered a pond and became submerged upside down in water. Milan was unable to escape from the submerged vehicle which was not discovered until around 1730hrs that day. Emergency Services attended the scene and Fire Officers then extracted Milan from the submerged vehicle. He was rushed to Peterborough City Hospital but sadly his death was confirmed at 1944hrs.

The vehicle involved in the collision failed to negotiate the left hand bend on the westbound Old Oundle Road at Wittering adjacent to the rear crash gates of RAF Wittering. The vehicle left the road to its offside and entered a pond where it became submerged in water. The 2 occupants of the vehicle drowned as a result.
There is sharp route deviation signage for vehicles travelling in the opposite direction but nothing to alert westbound drivers of the sharp left hand bend. The water beyond the bend clearly creates an additional hazard.
Whilst the precise reason the vehicle failed to negotiate the left hand bend on this occasion is unclear I am concerned that the lack of signage alerting westbound traffic of the bend at this location creates a risk of future incidents and death, not least because of the water beyond.