THE mother of a Monmouthshire man who received serious injuries in an accident on the A48 has called for the introduction of safety measures on the road.

Billy Lewis, 23, from Shirenewton, suffered injuries including a broken neck and a collapsed lung. His mother said his car skidded off the road, collided with a lamppost, and landed in a field beside the A48 near Penhow, on Saturday, November 8.

Mr Lewis was taken to the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, and underwent surgery on his neck yesterday, ahead of facial surgery in the coming weeks.

The speed limit of the route is currently 50 miles per hour and Mr Lewis’ mother, Linda, 44, said that her son had overtaken a vehicle, was driving under the speed limit, and had driven the same route to and from work every day.

Mrs Lewis believes that flash floods make the route very dangerous.

She said: “Luckily, a local woman heard a loud bang. She looked out of her bedroom window, called an ambulance, and got over to him to call us from his mobile phone. God forbid what would have happened had she not seen it.

“It was absolutely terrifying to receive a phone call like that. It really does not hit you until you have to stand there and watch the fire service cutting your son out of a car.

“The road is a death trap and when I got there, there was a stream of water. It’s absolutely horrendous and it could have even been worse if there had been pedestrians around. People need to know about these flash floods and how dangerous the road is as a result.”

Mrs Lewis said that, owed to the severity of his injuries, her son – who works as a builder – is set to be off work for the foreseeable future.

She said: “Two specialist teams handled him at the Heath and one of his pupils was dilated after the accident.

“He’s got a broken neck, broken cheekbone, broken nose, broken jaw, broken ribs, and a collapsed lung. His gumline is also gone.

“He’s just really down and we have not told his two little kids. They just think that he’s at work and we do not plan on taking them to the hospital to see him. It’s terrible, as he really misses them.”

A spokeswoman for Newport City Council said that roads such as the A48 are regularly inspected.

She said: “Roads throughout the city, especially those susceptible to flooding such as the A48, are regularly inspected when adverse weather is forecast and action is taken where appropriate.

“We cannot comment on this individual case until the circumstances have been fully investigated, but we would advise all drivers to drive according to the conditions and we do hope this young man makes a full recovery.”

A spokeswoman for Gwent Police said inquiries were ongoing into the incident.