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THE family of a woman left for dead in a hit-and-run collision in Kentish Town days before her 95th birthday will never know the truth about what happened to her.
Even though Fortess Road has two cameras at either end, the spot where Ethel Hall was knocked to the ground is not covered.
And police have admitted they have abandoned hope of tracking down the van driver who knocked Mrs Hall over in August last year.
Despite being left visibly shaken and ­covered in bruises, Ms Hall remained in high spirits when interviewed by the New Journal in August.
But now, tragically, Mrs Hall has died, and close family members say she was never the same after the accident in Fortess Road.
Police treated the accident as a “fail-to-stop” case, but officers were hampered by lack of witnesses and CCTV coverage.
And after her death from a stroke on December 7 – less than three months later – family members have said that she never ­fully ­recovered.
Her eldest son David said: “She slowed down a whole lot after that. She started feeling tired and that sort of thing. Before that she was very active. We think the accident must have had something to do with it.”
Daughter Betty added: “I think it sped things up. Until the accident she moved around a lot more. She still did her own shopping and was very independent, but it definitely slowed her down. And she was left terribly badly bruised for some time afterwards.”
A police spokeswoman said it is believed a white Ford Transit van reversed out of Bellina Mews into Fortess Road in a three-point-turn-type of manoeuvre, hitting the great-grandmother and knocking her unconscious. But without CCTV cameras nearby, officers could not be sure and were forced to close the case due to lack of evidence.
A police spokeswoman said: “Witness appeals were undertaken. There was no vehicle registration available so traffic collision officers looked into as many white Ford Transit vans as possible, but the driver could not be traced.”
Passers-by who witnessed the aftermath of the collision were outraged by the driver’s failure to stop. The accident sent shock waves through the community of Kentish Town, where Ms Hall had lived for more than 60 years.
Community champion Silla Carron said: “This is an extremely sad case and it’s been made more tragic by the fact that we’ll never know what really happened. To get to the age of 95 in good health and then for this to happen is devastating for her family.
“This is on someone’s conscience and I hope whoever did not stop can live with themselves because I’m damned if I could.”
The failure of the police investigation to trace the driver, despite extensive efforts, has sparked calls from some traders for better CCTV at the stretch of Fortess Road where the accident occurred.
There are two cameras between Kentish Town and Tufnell Park Tube stations – at the junctions with Brecknock Road and the fork with Highgate Road.
Farukh Adia, who owns Topfields stationery shop, said: “There is a camera further up Fortess Road at the bus stop, for catching people parked illegally. But if a bus lane is more of a priority than street safety then I don’t know what things are coming to.”
Nadia Goddard, of Head Rooms hairdressers, added: “Cameras would make me feel safer. There are only two of us working here, both women, and sometimes we are here until 9pm at night when it’s very dark.”
But Fortess Road resident Graham Tayar said increasing the CCTV presence would be an overreaction to a one-off accident.
He added: “This case was appalling but you can’t have a camera at the scene of every accident. You can’t cover all places all of the time.”
A Camden Council spokeswoman said: “The cameras on Fortess Road are dual purpose and are used for community safety and where necessary for parking enforcement. The council has a responsibility to enforce parking rules to make the borough’s roads safer for everyone who uses them, and to reduce congestion and keep traffic flowing.”
JOSIE HINTON

Retired dinner lady who was determined ‘to do things herself’

SHE outlived three brothers, four sisters and her “toy boy” husband, and 95-year-old Ethel Hall remained independent to the last.
The former school dinner lady “liked to do things herself” and could often be seen on the bus from Fortess Road to Camden Town, where she shopped – including on the day before she died.
Described as the kind of woman who had the “knack of being able to cook you a hot meal if you turned up unexpectedly at her home”, she liked to make a fuss of her family – but didn’t want to be fussed over herself.
Her eldest son David recalled how even after having a mini-stroke a couple of years ago she remained unfazed. “She went into hospital on the Thursday, and a few hours later was chatting to the nurses and eating sandwiches,” he said. “She was discharged on the Friday and was shopping in Camden Town on the Saturday.”
Born in 1914 in Essex, her first childhood memory was of bombing raiders over the family cottage where she shared a bedroom with seven brothers and sisters, including twin sister Annie. She moved to Barnet in 1939 with her husband Rodney, jokily referred to as her toy boy as he was a year her junior. In 1948 they moved to Kentish Town, where Ms Hall worked as a school dinner lady, eventually becoming catering manager.
Despite cooking all day, she would still make a large meal for her five children. On Boxing Day, there were so many people that meals had to be taken in three sittings. David said: “And then, of course, the annual family group photo had to be taken. Having all the family could be confusing as she would often confuse the children’s names.”
Ms Hall liked to knit clothes for her six grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren, although not necessarily in the right size. She was a keen gardener and would donate any spare fruit and vegetables to friends and neighbours.
JOSIE HINTON