'I saw the crash that killed my wife and son'

Billy Boyack witnessed the crash that killed his wife and youngest son

Visitors to Billy Boyack's home in South Shields might think he has put up his Christmas tree far too early.

But he has not felt able to put it away since his wife Angela and their youngest son, Stephen, died in a car crash in Derbyshire in December 2023.

Angela decorated the tree days before the head-on crash with a vehicle driven by Joshua Hill, 27, who fled the scene and was ultimately jailed for 13 years for causing Angela and Stephen's deaths.

Mr Boyack, who saw the crash while following in a different car, is backing campaigners' calls to tackle persistent speeding on the road, which is known locally as The Flying Mile.

Angela Boyack, 59 and Stephen Boyack, 22 were both killed on the A632

Mr Boyack, who was married to Angela for 35 years, said: "Angela was the glue that kept the family together, she was one of those people who would do anything for anybody.

"She was due to have her 60th birthday and we decided to stop down in Derbyshire with family for a few days.

"We had a wonderful few days, then had just started the drive back to the North East when tragedy struck."

Mr Boyack was driving his car with his mum as a passenger, while his father Billy and his other son Alex were in another car behind and they saw Stephen's Hyundai being hit head-on by a BMW driven by Hill, who was overtaking another vehicle.

"The impact absolutely devastated the car. The front end was completely obliterated," Mr Boyack said.

"When I got to the car I realised the crash had pushed the engine compartment back into the passenger compartment, killing Angela instantly."

The section of the A632 where the pair died is known locally as The Flying Mile

Mr Boyack added: "The car started to catch fire, so we had to get Stephen out, which I didn't want to do until the emergency services arrived, because he had internal injuries.

"Alex wanted to help get Stephen out and I wouldn't let him do it.

"I had one of those surreal moments where I thought 'If you move him, and he's got internal injuries, it could make them worse and if Alex has handled him, it'll break his heart'.

"So I told a pack of lies to Alex and I said 'There's not enough room, I've been trained to handle him - and I hadn't.'"

Stephen, 22, was airlifted to the Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham but later died from his injuries.

'This shouldn't happen again'

Mr Boyack now wants action to tackle speeding on the A632 Chesterfield Road where they died.

Campaigners who want speed cameras installed have said they regularly witness vehicles speeding along the road.

Speed warning signs installed beside the road have recorded vehicles travelling at more than 100mph in a 50mph zone, with the highest recorded speed 150mph.

"When Stephen died I made a vow that this shouldn't happen again and I discovered how bad the figures were for deaths and serious injuries on this road," Mr Boyack said.

"The only viable, practical and safe thing to do is put average speed cameras up to slow people down."

Speed warning signs in Kelstedge have clocked drivers travelling at up to 150mph

North East Derbyshire councillor Helen Wetherall fears a further tragedy may follow if action to reduce speed is not taken.

"It's only a matter of time before there's going to be another incident like Billy's and regularly we have serious accidents on that road where speed is a factor," she said.

"The highest speed that has been detected through the 40mph limit in Kelstedge village is 150mph, however the speed detector cuts off at 150mph so it may be higher than that."

The speed indicator panels do not record the number plates of vehicles and cannot be used for prosecutions.

Councillor Helen Wetherall said nobody seemed to be taking the issue seriously

North East Derbyshire MP, Louise Sandher-Jones said: "It's a really dangerous road, it's got a lot of small junctions with small roads coming on and off, so it's really difficult to get a good line of sight to know if it's okay to pull out or not."

"Anybody that knows the area knows the speeds that people can reach, they can attract people who want to speed."

In a statement, Derbyshire Constabulary said improving the safety of the county's roads was a top priority for the force and it was committed to working with its partners.

It added that early in the new year, work will begin to create a purpose-built bay for our speed enforcement van on the A632.

Camera 'aspiration'

Charlotte Hill, Derbyshire County Council's cabinet member for potholes, highways and transport, said: "Road safety is one of our top priorities and we continue to work hard with the police to improve road safety on this route.

"We've recently approved funding to create a purpose-built bay for the police to deploy their speed enforcement van on the A632 which is due to be installed in the coming months. This will help the police carry out speed enforcement action along the road.

"The annual collision rate on this route has halved since 2015 and speed surveys show that traffic speeds have also reduced following changes to the speed limits.

"We have also carried out a number of other safety measures including improving signage at junctions and cutting back foliage.

"But we are always striving to improve things further and average safety cameras are one of our aspirations, which we hope the government will support us with.

"We agree the A632 should be included in the national scheme for average speed cameras and other measures and we continue to be in regular contact with the Department for Transport for funding for this through the national Safer Roads Fund."