Derbyshire heroes who saved casualties from blazing Bolsover crash want new speed limits checked
They helped to put out flames and gave first aid to people away from the scene - on the B6417 last February.
Brave heroes who rescued five people from the blazing wreckage of a collision and successfully campaigned for new reduced speed limits on a dangerous road now want to see the police enforce these restrictions to save lives.
The five residents were presented with awards from the office of the Derbyshire Police and Crime Commissioner at a Bolsover District Council meeting on May 20 for their courage during the collision between a Volkswagen Polo and a Skoda Octavia on the B6417 Mansfield Road, off Ramper Avenue, in Clowne, between Clowne and Bolsover.
David and Beverley Daniels, their son Kieran, and fellow residents Thomas Smith and Sarah Bryan, of Oxcroft, extinguished the blaze and got the five casualties safely away from the wreckage while warning on-coming traffic.
Thomas said: “There were two cars in a head-on-collision and one caught fire as a result of that collision. Sarah ran around the corner to stop traffic coming around the blind bend and we ran to the cars to get everyone out.
“When we had realised there was a fire we legged it back for fire extinguishers from the garage and tried to put the fire out and as we put the fire down we tried to get them out.”
The residents explained that they wanted to get the casualties away from the vehicles as soon as possible because the fire was cracking and popping and they feared it could have exploded at any time.
Beverley told how they were also worried the fire could have spread to a gas tank behind a hedge near her home while other people helped with warnings and traffic diversions.
The casualties were safely taken to the residents’ homes, according to Thomas, with various injuries including broken bones, an exposed, fractured bleeding arm, a broken back, and a broken ankle as they waited for the emergency fire and ambulance services.
Derbyshire Constabulary confirmed the collision, which happened on February 15, 2025, had resulted in four men and a woman being taken to hospital with three of them suffering serious injuries.
Grateful Alex Tew, who had been with family in the Octavia, recently messaged the residents and passed on his thanks again and to say they had ‘certainly helped in saving their lives’.
Bolsover District Council’s Deputy Leader, Cllr Donna Hales, who campaigned with residents, explained the speed limit along this stretch of road was 60mph and after a series of accidents including ‘life-changing incidents’ and ‘fatalities’ they campaigned with a long-running appeal urging Derbyshire County Council’s highways team to address problems with a reduced speed limit and traffic-calming measures.
Cllr Hales successfully campaigned with the residents to finally see safety measures and reduced speed limits imposed and confirmed this month that designated sections of the road have now seen new speed limits imposed with reductions from 60mph to 40mph and 50mph.
She said the county council has put in the speed restrictions along the B6417 Mansfield Road with the majority of the road now reduced to 50mph with a further reduced stretch down to 40mph throughout the Oxcroft estate.
Cllr Hales had highlighted collisions and incidents during the campaign including the blazing two-vehicle collision in 2025 as well as another on October 2, 2024, between a Volkswagen Golf and a Ford Transit tipper vehicle which was confirmed by Derbyshire police and resulted in two people being taken to hospital with non life-threatening injuries.
The district councillor, who oversees Bolsover North and Shuttlewood, said the area around Mansfield Road had been the scene of multiple accidents and a fatality over at least three years and she praised the residents for rescuing the casualties from both cars during the blazing collision and for looking after them until the emergency services arrived.
David Daniels told how residents had been campaigning for about ten years for Derbyshire County Council and Derbyshire Constabulary to introduce safety measures and speed restrictions after numerous incidents near their homes and during the last three years they worked with Cllr Hales and Derbyshire County Council’s highways teams and other agencies.
He said that following an initial accident involving his wife Beverley he approached the county council who eventually installed a ‘reduce-speed’ warning sign, an extra painted ‘slow’ marking on the road and some solid white lines but due to ongoing incidents residents continued campaigning for speed restrictions.
David and Beverley explained that drivers think it is a straight road before they reach a blind bend and that is when some lose control and ‘curb it’ and this knocks them onto the other side of the carriageway.
District Cllr Hales told how the scale of the problem had meant the community had not even been able to do community speed watches to provide statistics because it was not safe with the 60mph speed limit as she pushed for traffic-calming measures particularly along stretches near to residential properties.
The county council met with campaigners and after working with Derbyshire Constabulary it initially increased some signage at the entrances to nearby Oxcroft to encourage road safety and sensible driving through the village before bringing in the latest speed restrictions.
Police also worked with the Derby and Derbyshire Road Safety Partnership and previously confirmed there have been mobile enforcement sites along the B6417 which have been used to monitor traffic by the Casualty Reduction and Enforcement Support Team with enforcement taken when necessary and appropriate.
Derbyshire County Council confirmed as long ago as February, 2025, that a traffic regulation order had been published to advertise a reduction in the speed limit on the B6417 down to 40mph and for the section of Mansfield Road from Clowne to Oxcroft to be reduced down to 50mph.
But when they were asked about the delays, the county council explained that plans to reduce speed limits have to go through a long legal process before the introduction of additional signage to provide warnings about the road and the new maximum speed limits.
Derbyshire County Cllr Charlotte Hill, Cabinet Member for Highways, confirmed in February, 2026, that efforts had been made to process the plans and a speed restriction along this road had been agreed at least 18 months previously but there had been a delay in placing the signage.
David said: “We have still got the long road and if people do not stick to the new speed limits they could still have an impact on that bend and we also have to risk our lives coming in and out of that bend.”
Cllr Hales told the council meeting that she has no doubt that the ‘prompt and quick actions’ of the five residents had prevented fatalities and their actions deserve the community’s appreciation and she also praised Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service.
She added that residents and highways officers had worked collectively to lobby Derbyshire County Council for the new speed limits to be agreed and designated sections of the road have now been reduced from 60mph to 40mph and 50mph.
Beverley said: “What we would like now is for the police to enforce it because it will get the right message out there that we are serious and that the police are focusing on it as an important spot.
“It’s about enforcement now. That is what they need to do. Electric signs showing people’s speeds would also be good.”
Beverley thanked her neighbours and Cllr Hales who have been involved in the campaign for speed restrictions and she added that it is good to have been recognised with awards but it was a shame the situation had reached the level of seriousness of the collision that occurred in February, 2025.
Derbyshire Police Inspector Matthew Brown, who leads policing in the north east of the county, said the force welcomes the new speed limit and it will continue to work with partners to ensure that Derbyshire’s roads are as safe as they can be.
He added: “Speeding is one of the fatal four offences and officers see all too often the devastating impact that it can have. If this change of speed limit saves one family having to be told that their loved one will never be coming home then it will have been a success.”
Derbyshire Police and Crime Commissioner Nicolle Ndiweni-Roberts thanked the residents who stepped forward with such ‘courage and selflessness’.
She said: “Their actions speak volumes about the strength of this community, and I am truly grateful. I also want to recognise Cllr Charlotte Hill and Cllr Donna Hales for their tireless work in pushing for speed restrictions on this stretch of road.
“We have all worked together to achieve this and their determination has been invaluable. This move is another step forward in making our roads safer for everyone.”
County Cllr Hill also said: “After listening to local concerns, I’m pleased to confirm that we have put in place new speed limits in the Clowne area to improve safety for motorists and residents.
“This follows a series of accidents in the area, which we hope will be reduced after reducing the limit on several roads.
“The changes include a reduction in the speed from 60 to 50 mph between Clowne and Oxcroft, a new 40mph speed limit in Oxcroft itself, on Mooracre Lane and Marlpit Lane. Then the stretch of road from Oxcroft to just past the Mooracre Lane turning to Bolsover is now a 50mph instead of a 60mph limit.
“I’d like to thank Cllr Hales and other people living nearby for their tireless efforts in campaigning for the changes, to keep motorists and pedestrians safe. And congratulations to the four individuals that helped the victims of the crash in February, 2025, for their awards which are well deserved for their brave efforts.”