A teenager has described how the trauma of seeing a man resuscitated on the street outside her home has sparked her and her mum to campaign for a safer Erith.
Kaitlyn, 15 and Marisa Boxall are concerned and frustrated by the accident "black spot" near the roundabout in Erith High Street - where they have witnessed roughly 30 crashes from their balcony.
The pair have lived in their Stonewood Road flat for the past 10 years, and admit they have become used to the chilling "bang" of another potentially fatal crash.
Miss Boxall, 46, told News Shopper: "What we have seen here is unbelievable.
"It’s a black spot. People die outside here.
"It’s so upsetting when you see it. It’s worse than a soap opera."
Her daughter Kaitlyn added: "It really annoys me, all the accidents that go on here, and nothing gets done about it.
"That’s why Erith is known as a bad area. After a while it gets depressing.
"How can anyone feel safe around here?
"They could at least put CCTV cameras up, because then there won’t be so many crashes.
"There is no security."
The view from the Boxall's balcony
Kaitlyn, who goes to Erith School in Northumberland Heath, said she is embarrassed to bring friends home in case they witness further smashes.
She added: "I do get scared crossing the road sometimes - you feel like you are taking a risk."
The "passionate" teen, who volunteers with Friends of Riverside Gardens Erith (FORGE), also spoke of the most harrowing crash she witnessed on the site.
Kaitlyn said: "About two years ago, there was a daughter and her dad in the car.
"They pulled the man out and they were doing the heart pumping on him.
"He died and my mum was sitting there crying.
"The daughter was sitting there screaming and crying. We were worried for her. I think she was in her 20s.
"It’s upsetting. It makes me look the world in a totally different light."
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Kaitlyn said because of crime and crashes, people do not want to live in Erith - and she would feel "safer and less depressed" if she moved away.
Her mum concluded: "It’s a forgotten town."
Bexley Council have been contacted for comment.
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