A coroner has warned of the risk of “future deaths” after a woman and her dog were killed on Sarratt Road in Croxley.
At around 6.15pm on September 29, 2023, 62-year-old Cheryl Edwards was crossing the road from her driveway with her dog when she was struck by a black Volkswagen Golf.
Both she and her pet dog Freddie died at the scene.
In a statement released at the time, Cheryl’s family said: “Cheryl was an amazingly caring, loving and adventurous mother, nanny and friend. Full of joy and laughter, Cheryl is loved and will be missed but never forgotten in the hearts of those she touched throughout her life.”
An inquest into her death concluded on Thursday, August 28, 2025, and determined the cause of her death as multiple traumatic injuries resulting from a road traffic collision.
It also concluded “the driver of the car had insufficient time to respond to her presence in the road”.
Geoffrey Sullivan, HM Senior Coroner for Hertfordshire, has since issued a Regulation 28 Report to Prevent Future Deaths to the chief executive of Hertfordshire County Council Angie Ridgwell.
In the report submitted on Thursday, September 4, Mr Sullivan raised concerns over the 60mph speed limit on the stretch of Sarratt Road between M25 overbridge and the speed restriction sign for Sarratt Village.
During his inquest, Mr Sullivan heard from an experienced collision investigator that the speed limit was too high, and he outlined that the road has a number of residential properties with driveways bordering the road and verges were made up of dense foliage.
Mr Sullivan explained: “In his opinion, the characteristics of the road, the speed limit and the presence of the residential properties present a risk of future deaths.”
In his report, Mr Sullivan agreed with the collision investigator.
He said: “In my opinion, action should be taken to prevent future deaths and I believe you [REDACTED] have the power to take such action.”
The report gives the council 56 days to respond. By Thursday, October 30, either the action would need to be taken or proposed or an explanation to why no action will be taken.
A spokesperson for Hertfordshire County Council said: “Any death on Hertfordshire’s roads is tragic and our thoughts are with Ms Edwards’ loved ones following her death in September 2023 and the recent inquest. We will be carefully considering the coroner’s recommendations and will provide a full response by 30 October as requested. We take road safety incredibly seriously and have recently announced a review of our wider speed management strategy to explore ways to make it quicker and easier to review and introduce appropriate speed limits on roads in the county.”
Photo: Hertfordshire Police
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