A 54-year-old man has died after a collision involving a lorry on a major east London road, and detectives are appealing for anyone who saw what happened to come forward.
The collision happened on the A127, Southend Arterial Road, in Havering, at 6.44pm on Thursday, 22 October. Officers were called to reports of a collision between a pedestrian and a lorry.
Paramedics from the London Ambulance Service attended the scene, but the pedestrian was pronounced dead at the scene. His next of kin have been informed and are being supported by specialist officers, the Metropolitan Police said.
The man is believed to have been crossing the road at the time of the collision. No arrests have been made, and enquiries into the circumstances remain ongoing.
Witnesses and dash-cam footage sought
Detectives from the Met’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit are now piecing together exactly what happened in the lead-up to the collision.
Detective Inspector Sion Hughes, of the Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: “We are continuing to establish the full circumstances surrounding the collision and we are keen to hear from anyone who may have witnessed the incident to come forward. I am asking for anyone who may have dash-cam or CCTV footage to please come forward. Any information you have could be vital in our investigation.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101, quoting reference 5831/22OCT.
A busy dual-carriageway corridor
The A127, known as the Southend Arterial Road, is one of the main routes in and out of east London, running from Romford through Havering and out towards Southend in Essex. It is a dual carriageway for much of its length and carries a heavy mix of cars, lorries and other traffic, particularly during the evening rush hour.
The road passes through the London Borough of Havering, linking the capital’s eastern suburbs with the M25 and beyond. Thursday evening’s collision happened just before 7pm, when the road would still have been busy with commuters heading home.
For pedestrians, crossing a dual carriageway like the A127 can be especially hazardous: traffic moves quickly, drivers’ sightlines are long and straight, and gaps in the flow can be deceptive in low evening light. The Met has not said where on the A127 the man was crossing, or whether there was a footbridge or crossing point nearby.
Specialist officers lead the investigation
Police have not released the exact stretch of the A127 where the collision happened, and the man’s identity has not been made public while his family are supported by specialist officers.
The Serious Collision Investigation Unit deals with the Met’s most serious road crashes across London. When a pedestrian is killed in a collision with a heavy vehicle, officers typically close the road to allow a detailed forensic examination of the scene — measuring road markings, vehicle positions, braking distances and sightlines — before reopening it.
Appeals of this kind are a routine but important part of that process: dash-cam footage from motorists driving along the same stretch minutes earlier or later can help establish speeds, signal states and exactly where each person was positioned in the moments before impact.
Detectives will now review any footage handed in as they work to establish the full circumstances. Anyone who was driving along the A127, Southend Arterial Road, in Havering on Thursday evening and saw anything unusual is urged to get in touch, even if they think what they saw may be insignificant.
London’s roads have seen a series of serious incidents in recent days. Detectives are separately appealing for witnesses after a multi-vehicle crash near Clacket Lane services, while a crash at Northumberland Park in Tottenham closed a main road in both directions on Thursday morning.
The appeal over the Havering collision remains open, and police say any information could be vital.
