A man who broke his neck on the same stretch of Oxford road that claimed four lives at the weekend had called for a crash barrier on the central reservation more than four years ago.

Adrian Bull in hospital after the crashAdrian Bull, 26, of Oxford Road, Littlemore, was left paralysed after the accident on the Eastern Bypass in November 2000, when his car careered across the central reservation and into the path of an oncoming lorry.

His family immediately called on Oxfordshire County Council to install a crash barrier along the road - a simple measure they claimed would save lives - but their pleas were rejected.

Oxford schoolboys Marshall Haynes, Liam Hastings and Josh Bartlett, all 13, died on Saturday when the Citroen Xsara they were in crossed the dual carriageway into the path of a Honda Civic, whose driver Howard Hillsdon, of Yarnton, was also killed.

Four other teenage boys in the Citroen and the 45-year-old driver, Angela Dublin, are fighting for their lives in hospital.

Three of the four injured boys have been named as Mrs Dublin's son, Anton, Connor Hunt and Aiden Wood, all 13.

Mrs Dublin had taken the boys out to mark Anton's 13th birthday and were on their way to a celebratory meal when the accident happened.

The police investigation will, among other things, look at why eight people were in the Citroen, which was built to hold five.

But questions are also being asked about why such a busy stretch of road has no crash barrier and if that could have saved lives.

The county council said yesterday there had not been a "strong case" for the railings until this weekend.

Mr Bull said he raised the lack of a barrier back in 2000. He added: "Since my accident I've always questioned why this is the only stretch of ring road without a central reservation barrier.

"After this crash, something has definitely got to be done. There's definitely something wrong with it.

"I don't like to drive up that stretch if I can help it. If I can, I'll take a different route. It makes me shiver just thinking about it.

"It's not been very well planned.

"I see it differently from other people because I've been one of its victims. It's one of the busiest roads in Oxford, but I don't know anywhere else with a busy road like that which just has a width of brick and grass. It's not safe, but when you ask the council about it, they just seem to fob you off."

Mr Bull's crash happened just yards away from the scene of Saturday's accident.

He had been travelling at 70mph on his way to work at BMW when his car clipped a pillar supporting Shotover bridge.

Surgeons at the John Radcliffe Hospital, Headington, feared he would not survive his injuries, which included nine broken vertebra in his back and neck.

He said: "I wouldn't have been so badly hurt if there'd been a crash barrier. You'd have thought that after my accident they'd have done something about it. All the way down from before the Shotover bridge to the traffic lights there's no barrier."

Doctors predicted Mr Bull would never be able to use his legs again or have a family, but he went on to make a full recovery and he and his girlfriend, Lynette Taylor, now have a 10-month-old son, Ellis.

The firefighter in charge of the crew which attended the crash and people who visited the scene agreed barriers should be installed. Retained firefighter sub officer Gary Barnett said: "It's the only stretch of the ring road without a crash barrier and if it helps road safety I would definitely support one being put in. The crash would not be so extreme if a crash barrier was there."

Beryl Hoblyn, of Horspath, Cowley, said: "Crash barriers help save lives. They should put them in as soon as possible because cars really do go fast down this stretch."

Kevin Brown, of Headington said: "The highways people should deal with this as a priority. We need a crash barrier in the middle of the road and also barriers for the cycle lane because if a car comes through again, its not just the road, what about the cyclists and pedestrians?"

Cormac O'Hara, general manager at the Holiday Inn, Oxford, where Howard Hillsdon worked, said: "Anything that makes the road safer for users in the future including a crash barrier has our full support."

Richard Dix, the county's acting head of transport, said the eastern bypass was built in the 1960s, when safety standards did not include central barriers.

He said: "There has not been a strong case for providing one until now. The tragic accident on Saturday is the first fatal accident on this length of road involving a vehicle crossing the central reserve since our accident records began in 1979.

"In the light of this incident we will of course look again at the case for providing a barrier.

"Before making any decision we need to know more about the causes of this accident and give careful consideration to the full road layout, to ensure that if safety improvements are made, they are as effective as possible."