The fronts of two shops and part of a third were completely demolished when an articulated lorry jack-knifed on Accrington Road and swung round into them late on Wednesday night. And as a crowd gathered at the scene, an 85-year-old bookseller slept soundly on in his flat at the back of one of the shops. He had to be awakened by police officers. The lorry, owned by the Key warehouse and Transport Co., of Hull, was only partly loaded. The miscellaneous load, which comprised, among other things, wallpaper and Perspex, was being taken to Hull for export. The driver, 40 year old George Arthur Caine, amazingly escaped serious injury. He was taken to Victoria Hospital, but was discharged after receiving treatment for cuts to his hands and face. The fire brigade was called to the scene, but were not required as Mr Caine stepped out of his cab.
As a result of the accident, the whole block of houses opposite the General Havelock Inn wa deemed to be structurally unsafe. Part of Accrington Road was closed to traffic until yesterday afternoon while contractors worked to remove all the rubble and make the buildings safe. One of the shops which was badly damaged is unoccupied, the other, a bookshop, is owned by 85 year old Mr Edward Brownwood of Every Street, Nelson. He was sleeping in a flat at the back of the shop when the crash happened.“I must be a good sleeper” he said yesterday “because I didn’t hear the crash. When the police woke me up, I thought a thunderbolt or something must have hit the place. It had been thundering and lightening when I went to bed.” Mr Brownwood has kept the shop for about 30 years. He intended going back there yesterday afternoon, and, if possible, to continue the business. Neither the shop nor any of his stock were insured. Mrs Hilda Cook, who lives in a flat next to the damaged shops, was one of the first people on the scene. “There was a terrific bang just before midnight and when I went outside I saw the articulated lorry had jack-knifed into the shops.” she said. “The driver just climbed out of his cab, he didn’t seem badly injured. It seemed as though the lorry had sprung back towards the road, out of the way of any falling debris. Traffic was stopped from using the road. The surveyor was there until the early hours and he said that traffic should not use the road as the buildings were unsafe.” She added. Only the driver’s cab was damaged. The trailer was taken to Blackburn and was expected to be hauled to Hull last night.