�The mother of a 15-year-old girl left with a broken pelvis after an accident on the A12 stretch where an 80-year-old woman died is calling for better safety on the road.

Sharon Cheshire, of Penzance Road, Harold Hill, whose daughter Rebecca is still recovering after the accident three months ago, wants a crossing to be installed at the junction of Petersfield Avenue to replace the road’s subway.

She said: “Rebecca is really lucky to be alive. But, when I heard about the 80-year-old woman dying on the road, it just made me realise that something had to be done.

Poorly lit subway

“There is a subway there. But it is so dark that I only let my kids walk through it with me and even then I have a torch.”

Rebecca was returning home at 8.30pm on September 12 when she crossed the road and was in collision with a car.

Mrs Cheshire knew something was wrong when she didn’t receive her daughter’s usual call asking her mum to meet her at the bus stop.

Sharon’s husband went out to look for her and came across a cordon in the road with Rebecca lying in the middle.

Mrs Cheshire said: “It was the most terrifying thing – something a parent never wants to see.

“Rebecca would always call me to meet her at the bus stop so that she would walk home together.”

The teenager spent a week in intensive care at the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel. She is wheelchair bound until she learns to walk again.

Mrs Cheshire’s plea comes after the Recorder reported that Bridget “Breda” Lillis, of Woodstock Avenue, Harold Hill, suffered severe head injuries when she in collision with a car.

The accident took place on the westbound carriageway of the A12, opposite the junction with Petersfield Avenue, at 6pm on November 20.

Ms Lillis was the taken to the Royal London Hospital, but died the next day.

Mrs Cheshire, who goes to the Most Holy Redeemer Church which Ms Lillis attended, says the subway is rarely used.

She said: “When I heard about her death, it really hit me because it made me realise how lucky my daughter was.

“I don’t know anyone who uses the subway at night and I don’t think anyone could hear you if something happened there.”

A Transport for London spokesperson said: “The existing road layout on the A12 at its junction with Petersfield Avenue is unsuitable for a pedestrian crossing.

“It is a high speed dual carriageway close to the M25.

“This is why we continue to maintain a subway which is heavily used by cyclists and pedestrians.

“We are not aware of any issues with the lighting in this subway.

“But if residents do have any concerns, if they contact us with details, we will be happy to investigate further.”