THE distraught father of a teenage girl who died after she was hit by a car at what residents claim is an accident blackspot has revealed he was told by council officers last year there had to be a fatality before anything could be done.

Kate Whalley, 18, had caught a bus home after sitting her penultimate A-Level exam at Harrogate Grammar School when she was struck by a black Ford Fiesta ST on the A660 Leeds Road, near its junction with Old Pool Bank, in Pool-in-Wharfedale last Thursday.

She was airlifted to Leeds General Infirmary where her father Michael and stepmother Janie were told her injuries were unsurvivable.

Kate was kept alive until the early hours of Saturday so doctors could find and arrange recipients for her organs.

Mr Whalley, 54, of Cragg View, Pool-in-Wharfedale, said he had lost the ‘apple of my eye’ on a stretch of road that he, and others, had been warning about for years.

He said: “We’ve had concerns about the road, and the ridiculously fast speed of driving, for quite a while and there have been several accidents - it was closed last year due to a crash.

“I and a number of other residents went to a meeting about this last year where there were representatives from the highways authority, and several people expressed concerns about the speed along Old Pool Bank road and the A660.

“I pointed out that we’d had fatalities of cats and deer which meant it was only a matter of time before it was a person, and asked if the 40mph limit should be restricted to 30mph and speed cameras put in place.

“The highways representative said nothing could be done until there was a fatality - and here we are, when it’s no use to anyone.

“There’s now been an 18-year-old girl - the absolute apple of my eye who was my everything - taken.

“It seems you can speak to the authorities about concerns but they don’t take heed until something desperate happens."

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Mr Whalley added: “Kate and I were so close and had the same personality - we would both laugh at something when no-one else could see anything to laugh about.

“Janie, my wife, is Kate’s step-mum and is absolutely cut-up by this as is her natural mother, Diane Jordan.”

Mr Whalley said his family has been given some comfort by knowing that nine of Kate’s organs are now being used to save others.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus: Kate Whalley

Residents in the area have written to newly-elected MP Alex Sobel (Lab, Leeds North West) in a call for action to curb speeding drivers.

Pat McLoughlin, of Bar House Row, said: “The major problem is the speed of the traffic and our neighbours - who’ve been here much longer than us - say there have been a series of meetings with the police and local councillors about it.

“The terrible irony is that Michael attend one of those meetings last October where we were all saying the road was an accident waiting to happen.

“We have bus stops on either side of the road on the A660, by KT Green’s garage, where anyone who has to cross is taking their lives in their hands.

“The attitude of the authorities has to change, something has to be done to improve safety and Michael deserves all the support we can give.”

A Leeds City Council spokesman said: “Leeds City Council would like to offer its deepest condolences to Mr Whalley and all of Kate’s family and friends for their tragic loss.

"Leeds City Council officers have met with local residents and councillors on several occasions in recent years to discuss a range of highways issues in Pool village, including the junction of the A660 and Old Pool Bank Road.

“There have only been two recorded injury incidents in the last ten years at this location, both of which were due to driver error. As this incident is still under police investigation it would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage.”

Kate’s funeral will be held at Harrogate Stonefall Crematorium on Wetherby Road on Thursday, July 6.

The Fiesta driver, a 22-year-old Harrogate man was arrested and released under investigation.

Sergeant Mathew Tunney, of the Major Collision Enquiry Team at West Yorkshire Police, said: “We are still keen to hear from anyone who witnessed the collision or who saw the black Ford Fiesta ST, which is believed to have travelled from Ilkley, at any point on its journey to the scene of the collision.

“We are particularly keen to hear from anyone with dashcam footage that may have captured either the incident itself or the movements of the Fiesta in the time leading up to the collision.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact the team by calling 101 and quoting log number 1347 of June 22.