Witness tells of fatal crash horror outside home

Floral tributes beside the A246 at East Clandon, where two young men were killed

The man who was first on the scene of a fatal collision outside his home says he was unable to sleep after seeing two men trapped inside an overturned vehicle.

Emergency services responded to a three-car collision in Epsom Road, East Clandon late on 21 August. Two men died at the scene while three people were arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.

People living in East Clandon say they have been reporting speeding in Epsom Road "for years", but their requests for help were ignored. Now, they want urgent action.

Surrey Police's Roadsafe team launches its It's Your Move campaign on Tuesday, which will target younger drivers, and aim to reduce death and injury on the roads.

A man with short grey hair sitting on an outside sofa. Behind him are yellow and purple cushions, shrubs and lights. He is wearing a pale green shirt and is looking into the camera

On 21 August, Paul Nugent had just gone to bed when he heard the "sickening sound of a crash".

"I raced up, went out there and basically there was carnage on the road," he told BBC Radio Surrey.

"There was a car overturned with two occupants in it [...] that were clearly dead. We tried to open the doors but couldn't. No one should see what I saw.

"I didn't want to look too far into there. I knew the situation was bad and I knew it would affect me badly."

One of the men who died in the crash has been identified as Max Redding, who played for Guildfordians Rugby Club.

Image of a young man in a sport top running

A meeting was called after the crash to discuss residents' concerns about the "problem" Epsom Road and what can be done to prevent further deaths.

Everyone at the meeting was in agreement that urgent action was required. They want to see police patrols during the night and average speed cameras installed, which they say have helped in other areas.

Sue Algeo, a licenced lay minister at the nearby parish church, said everyone in the village was feeling sadness and shock.

She said: "It's not just the the two lives that have been lost, but it's the sadness for their families, friends, for their communities."

Photo taken from back of a village hall showing people sitting on chairs facing three people at the front of the hall

Algeo understands well the pain that traffic collisions can cause.

"I had a nephew who was driving too fast and hit a lamppost, and ended up for seven years with brain damage," she said.

Police officer standing beside a police car looking into the camera with blank expression

Surrey Police's Roadsafe team is relaunching the It's Your Move campaign on Tuesday.

It is aimed at people aged 16 to 24, and will target them through social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok.

Acting police sergeant Ed Ferris said: "Generally, what we've found is that while they make up a small proportion of all the drivers on the road, they make up about 20% of people killed or seriously injured.

"It's not necessarily that they're doing something deliberate. There's an education factor there and it's about trying to focus on those types of drivers."

Young, male drivers between the ages of 17 and 24 are roughly four times as likely to be killed or seriously injured than drivers over 25, according to the UK government.

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Original source Witness tells of fatal crash horror outside home

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