Prevention of Future Deaths reports · 2019

Jason Imi

Regulation 28 report to prevent future deaths, reference 2019-0238, written 12 Jul 2019. A coroner writes one of these when an inquest reveals a risk that could cause further deaths unless something changes.

Date of report12 Jul 2019
Reference2019-0238
DeceasedJason Imi
CoronerAlison McCormick
Coroner areaBerkshire
CategoryRoad (Highways Safety) related deaths
Sourcejudiciary.uk record · original PDF
Responses published2

The report

Text extracted from the PDF text layer. Reproduced verbatim, including the scan's own layout.

Berkshire Coroner’s Office 
Reading Town Hall, Blagrave Street, Reading, RG1 1QH 
Tel. 01189372300 
coroner@reading.gov.uk 

Regulation 28: REPORT TO PREVENT FUTURE DEATHS (1) 

NOTE:  This from is to be used after an inquest. 
REGULATION 28 REPORT TO PREVENT DEATHS 

THIS REPORT IS BEING SENT TO:  

The Highways Authority 

2   CORONER’S LEGAL POWERS 

I make this report under paragraph 7, Schedule 5, of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 and 
regulations 28 and 29 of the Coroners (Investigations) Regulations 2013. 

3   INVESTIGATION and INQUEST 

On 3rd August 2018 I commenced investigations into the deaths of Jason Robert Imi (aged 48 
years) and John Carl Shackley (aged 61 years).  The investigations concluded at the end of the 
inquests on 8th July 2019. The conclusions of the inquests into the deaths of both men were: 

Road Traffic Collision 

4   CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE DEATH 

On 2nd August 2018 Jason Imi and John Shackley were on a corporate day with their work team.  
They were staying at the Royal Berkshire Hotel on the A329 London Road, Sunninghill, Berkshire.  
That evening the group went for dinner at a restaurant just up the road from the hotel. The group 
walked back from the restaurant to the hotel shortly before 11.30pm.  There is no pavement on the 
side  of  the  road  where  the  Royal  Berkshire  Hotel  is  located.    Mr.  Imi  and  Mr.  Shackley  walked 
together at the back of the group along the pavement on the opposite side of the road to the hotel.  
As they crossed the road back to the hotel they were hit by a motor car being driven in an easterly 
direction along the A329.  As a result of the collision both men sustained fatal injuries and died at 
the scene.  The A329 is subject to a 50mph speed limit at the locus of the accident.    

5   CORONER’S CONCERNS 

During the course of the inquest the evidence revealed matters giving rise to concern.  In 
my  opinion  there  is  a  risk  that  future  deaths  could  occur  unless  action  is  taken.    In  the 
circumstances it is my statutory duty to report to you. 

I  am  concerned  that  there  is  no  footpath  on  the  A329  on  the  side  of  the  road  where  the 
Royal Berkshire Hotel is located, meaning that any pedestrians walking into or out of the 
hotel  entrance  have  to  cross  the  A329  to  get  from  or  to  a  footpath,  and  that  there  is  no 
street  lighting  in  the  vicinity  of  the  hotel.    Street  lights  end  100  metres  west  of  the  hotel 
entrance.    This  means  that  pedestrians  entering  or  leaving  the  hotel  during  the  hours  of 
darkness have to cross the road in a place where there is no illumination, and so they are 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Berkshire Coroner’s Office 
Reading Town Hall, Blagrave Street, Reading, RG1 1QH 
Tel. 01189372300 
coroner@reading.gov.uk 

not  easily  visible  to  motorists  driving  along  the  A329.    There  is also  a  tree canopy  in  the 
summer,  further  shading  the  road,  and  a  dip  in  the  road  surface  on  the  eastbound 
approach  to  the  hotel  which  adversely  affects  forward  visibility  towards  the  hotel  for 
motorists.  

I consider that unless some action is taken there is a continuing risk of pedestrians entering 
or leaving the Royal Berkshire Hotel being run over as they cross the A329 at night. 

6   ACTION SHOULD BE TAKEN 
In my opinion action should be taken to prevent future deaths and I believe your organisation has 
the power to take such action. 

7  YOUR RESPONSE 

You are under a duty to respond to this report within 56 days of the date of this report,  
namely by 13th September 2019.  I, the Coroner, may extend the period. 

Your response must contain details of action taken or proposed to be taken, setting out the 
timetable for action.  Otherwise you must explain why no action is proposed. 

8  COPIES and PUBLICATION 

I have sent a copy of my report to the Chief Coroner and to the following Interested Persons: 
The family of Jason Imi 
The family of John Shackley 

The insurers of the vehicle involved in the road traffic collision on 2nd August 2018 
Thames Valley Police 

I am also under a duty to send the Chief Coroner a copy of your response. 

The Chief Coroner may publish either or both in a complete or redacted or summary form.  He may 
send a copy of this report to any person who he believes may find it useful or of interest.  You may 
make representations to me, the Coroner, at the time of your response about the release or the 
publication of your response by the Chief Coroner. 

12th July 2019 
Alison McCormick 
Assistant Coroner for Berkshire
Also filed under 2019-0238: John-Shackley-2019-0238_Redacted.pdf
Berkshire Coroner’s Office 
Reading Town Hall, Blagrave Street, Reading, RG1 1QH 
Tel. 01189372300 
coroner@reading.gov.uk 

Regulation 28: REPORT TO PREVENT FUTURE DEATHS (1) 

NOTE:  This from is to be used after an inquest. 
REGULATION 28 REPORT TO PREVENT DEATHS 

THIS REPORT IS BEING SENT TO:  

The Highways Authority 

2   CORONER’S LEGAL POWERS 

I make this report under paragraph 7, Schedule 5, of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 and 
regulations 28 and 29 of the Coroners (Investigations) Regulations 2013. 

3   INVESTIGATION and INQUEST 

On 3rd August 2018 I commenced investigations into the deaths of Jason Robert Imi (aged 48 
years) and John Carl Shackley (aged 61 years).  The investigations concluded at the end of the 
inquests on 8th July 2019. The conclusions of the inquests into the deaths of both men were: 

Road Traffic Collision 

4   CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE DEATH 

On 2nd August 2018 Jason Imi and John Shackley were on a corporate day with their work team.  
They were staying at the Royal Berkshire Hotel on the A329 London Road, Sunninghill, Berkshire.  
That evening the group went for dinner at a restaurant just up the road from the hotel. The group 
walked back from the restaurant to the hotel shortly before 11.30pm.  There is no pavement on the 
side  of  the  road  where  the  Royal  Berkshire  Hotel  is  located.    Mr.  Imi  and  Mr.  Shackley  walked 
together at the back of the group along the pavement on the opposite side of the road to the hotel.  
As they crossed the road back to the hotel they were hit by a motor car being driven in an easterly 
direction along the A329.  As a result of the collision both men sustained fatal injuries and died at 
the scene.  The A329 is subject to a 50mph speed limit at the locus of the accident.    

5   CORONER’S CONCERNS 

During the course of the inquest the evidence revealed matters giving rise to concern.  In 
my  opinion  there  is  a  risk  that  future  deaths  could  occur  unless  action  is  taken.    In  the 
circumstances it is my statutory duty to report to you. 

I  am  concerned  that  there  is  no  footpath  on  the  A329  on  the  side  of  the  road  where  the 
Royal Berkshire Hotel is located, meaning that any pedestrians walking into or out of the 
hotel  entrance  have  to  cross  the  A329  to  get  from  or  to  a  footpath,  and  that  there  is  no 
street  lighting  in  the  vicinity  of  the  hotel.    Street  lights  end  100  metres  west  of  the  hotel 
entrance.    This  means  that  pedestrians  entering  or  leaving  the  hotel  during  the  hours  of 
darkness have to cross the road in a place where there is no illumination, and so they are 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Berkshire Coroner’s Office 
Reading Town Hall, Blagrave Street, Reading, RG1 1QH 
Tel. 01189372300 
coroner@reading.gov.uk 

not  easily  visible  to  motorists  driving  along  the  A329.    There  is also  a  tree canopy  in  the 
summer,  further  shading  the  road,  and  a  dip  in  the  road  surface  on  the  eastbound 
approach  to  the  hotel  which  adversely  affects  forward  visibility  towards  the  hotel  for 
motorists.  

I consider that unless some action is taken there is a continuing risk of pedestrians entering 
or leaving the Royal Berkshire Hotel being run over as they cross the A329 at night. 

6   ACTION SHOULD BE TAKEN 
In my opinion action should be taken to prevent future deaths and I believe your organisation has 
the power to take such action. 

7  YOUR RESPONSE 

You are under a duty to respond to this report within 56 days of the date of this report,  
namely by 13th September 2019.  I, the Coroner, may extend the period. 

Your response must contain details of action taken or proposed to be taken, setting out the 
timetable for action.  Otherwise you must explain why no action is proposed. 

8  COPIES and PUBLICATION 

I have sent a copy of my report to the Chief Coroner and to the following Interested Persons: 
The family of Jason Imi 
The family of John Shackley 

The insurers of the vehicle involved in the road traffic collision on 2nd August 2018 
Thames Valley Police 

I am also under a duty to send the Chief Coroner a copy of your response. 

The Chief Coroner may publish either or both in a complete or redacted or summary form.  He may 
send a copy of this report to any person who he believes may find it useful or of interest.  You may 
make representations to me, the Coroner, at the time of your response about the release or the 
publication of your response by the Chief Coroner. 

12th July 2019 
Alison McCormick 
Assistant Coroner for Berkshire

Responses

2 responses published against this report on judiciary.uk. A response is a body's written reply to the coroner's concerns; publication is at the discretion of the Chief Coroner's office, so an absent response does not mean nobody replied.

Response from The Highways Authority 1 (PDF)
John Carl SHAKLEY Reg 28 Response (logged on 

Dear Sirs,

I refer to your letter regarding the deaths of Mr Jason Imi and Mr John Shackley following
the unfortunate road crash on A329 London Road, Sunninghill on 2nd August 2018. I
have been asked to respond to you on behalf of the Royal Borough of Windsor and
Maidenhead, who are the Highway Authority responsible for this section of road. I
apologise for the delay in responding to you.

As with all fatal road crashes on roads across the Borough, we arrange to meet the
Police as soon as possible after any crash. This allows us to review the circumstances
around the crash, identify possible contributory highway issues and if necessary put in
place any remedial measures as soon as possible. In this case, a meeting was held on
site with the Police on 7th August 2018. No tra(cid:431)ic management issues were identified 
during this site visit that may have contributed to this collision.

Our information is that there have been no reported injury crashes on London Road
within 200m of the Hotel entrance over the five year period 1st May 2013 to 30th April
2018 and that there have been no reported pedestrian casualties in the area since 1st
January 1990. I do however note that you have raised concerns about a number of
issues where you consider that there is a danger that future deaths could occur unless
action is taken. With regards to these points that you raise:

Whilst it is acknowledged that there is no footway on the north side of London

1.
Road in the immediate vicinity of the Royal Berkshire Hotel, the likely number of users of
a possible new footway is very low as there are only a small number of properties on the
north side of the road and very few of the Hotel guests walk along this section of road.
The lack of a footway is not unusual in a rural setting such as this, although there is a
continuous footway along the south side of the road. We will nevertheless monitor and
review pedestrian activity in the area.
2.
small settlement to the west of the hotel, which commences at a point approximately
100 metres west of the Royal Berkshire Hotel. Whilst it is not usual practice to install
street lighting for an individual access such as this, subject to budget prioritisation, the
Council will look to introduce additional street lighting on the section of London Road
up to the Hotel entrance.
3.
but have not identified any specific road safety issues associated with tree cover.

Colleagues have reviewed the tree canopy surrounding the road in this rural area

There is existing street lighting on the road corresponding with the edge of the

 Although there is a slight dip in the road in the vicinity of the Hotel entrance,

4.
there is advance signing to advise of the Hotel entrance as well as signing immediately
opposite the Hotel entrance. Further signing or tra(cid:431)ic measures are not considered 
necessary to alert approaching drivers to the presence of the Hotel entrance.

I trust that this response addresses the concerns that you have raised.

Yours sincerely,

BSc (Hons) MSc CMILT MCIHT

Principal Engineer 

Reply
Response from The Highways Authority (PDF)
John Carl SHAKLEY Reg 28 Response (logged on 

Dear Sirs,

I refer to your letter regarding the deaths of Mr Jason Imi and Mr John Shackley following
the unfortunate road crash on A329 London Road, Sunninghill on 2nd August 2018. I
have been asked to respond to you on behalf of the Royal Borough of Windsor and
Maidenhead, who are the Highway Authority responsible for this section of road. I
apologise for the delay in responding to you.

As with all fatal road crashes on roads across the Borough, we arrange to meet the
Police as soon as possible after any crash. This allows us to review the circumstances
around the crash, identify possible contributory highway issues and if necessary put in
place any remedial measures as soon as possible. In this case, a meeting was held on
site with the Police on 7th August 2018. No tra(cid:431)ic management issues were identified 
during this site visit that may have contributed to this collision.

Our information is that there have been no reported injury crashes on London Road
within 200m of the Hotel entrance over the five year period 1st May 2013 to 30th April
2018 and that there have been no reported pedestrian casualties in the area since 1st
January 1990. I do however note that you have raised concerns about a number of
issues where you consider that there is a danger that future deaths could occur unless
action is taken. With regards to these points that you raise:

Whilst it is acknowledged that there is no footway on the north side of London

1.
Road in the immediate vicinity of the Royal Berkshire Hotel, the likely number of users of
a possible new footway is very low as there are only a small number of properties on the
north side of the road and very few of the Hotel guests walk along this section of road.
The lack of a footway is not unusual in a rural setting such as this, although there is a
continuous footway along the south side of the road. We will nevertheless monitor and
review pedestrian activity in the area.
2.
small settlement to the west of the hotel, which commences at a point approximately
100 metres west of the Royal Berkshire Hotel. Whilst it is not usual practice to install
street lighting for an individual access such as this, subject to budget prioritisation, the
Council will look to introduce additional street lighting on the section of London Road
up to the Hotel entrance.
3.
but have not identified any specific road safety issues associated with tree cover.

Colleagues have reviewed the tree canopy surrounding the road in this rural area

There is existing street lighting on the road corresponding with the edge of the

 Although there is a slight dip in the road in the vicinity of the Hotel entrance,

4.
there is advance signing to advise of the Hotel entrance as well as signing immediately
opposite the Hotel entrance. Further signing or tra(cid:431)ic measures are not considered 
necessary to alert approaching drivers to the presence of the Hotel entrance.

I trust that this response addresses the concerns that you have raised.

Yours sincerely,

BSc (Hons) MSc CMILT MCIHT

Principal Engineer 

Reply

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