Van driver in fatal A1101 collision near Wisbech tells of pedestrian who ‘just tumbled” in front of him

A man has described the moment he heard a ‘horrific bang’ and rushed outside to find a pedestrian sprawled by the side of the road after being hit by a delivery van.

Police confirmed today that the pedestrian, a man in his 20s and thought to be from Lithuania, later died from his injuries. The collision happened near the Scarfield Lane junction on the Outwell Road/A1101.

“I looked over my fence and saw the van driver had slowed down and stopped,” said the local resident. “The driver told me ‘I’ve just hit someone’ and he went back to see what had happened.”

The man added: “The driver said the man just stumbled in front of him.”

He said he called the emergency services and both the police and ambulance service were on the scene quickly.

“The young man was walking towards Wisbech on the A1101 and in the road,” said the resident. “He did not have a high vis jacket or anything – nor was he using a footpath that was on the other side of the road.”

He added: “One police officer I spoke to said there had been three reports earlier of a man seen walking dangerously along that stretch of road. It was clear from the injuries I witnessed that the pedestrian had been hit hard – when the ambulance crews arrived they immediately inserted tubes into his chest to help him breathe but it was obviously going to be an uphill struggle for them.

“Credit to the van driver though – as soon as it happened he went straight back to help find the man who was lying in long grass alongside the road.”

The crash happened shortly before 8pm on Sunday and the road was closed for four hours.

A Norfolk police spokesman said: “The injured pedestrian was taken to hospital but has since died as a result of his injuries.”

Anyone who witnessed the collision or has information concerning it should contact the Serious Collision Investigation Team on 101.