A driver has been convicted of killing a pensioner being pushed by his wife across a road in a wheelchair. Stuart Lefevre was heard to say he didn't see them as he was looking at his sat nav, a court heard.
Tragically, a month after the impact the 91-year-old man died due to injuries sustained. Lefevre, 47, of Leighton Road in Knowle, denied causing the death of Raymond Powell by careless driving on Cleeve Hill on March 6, 2020.
After a trial at Bristol Crown Court a jury of eight women and four men took two hours and 24 minutes to unanimously convict him today (Tuesday, July 26). Judge Mark Horton bailed Lefevre, pending a probation report, for sentence on August 19.
READ MORE: Expert says collision driver 'may not have seen' OAP in wheelchair
Ramin Pakrooh, prosecuting, showed a jury dashcam footage from Lefevre's Honda Civic in which the Powells could be seen crossing the road from right to left. The dashcam showed the collision, which occurred after Lefevre turned right into the road and accelerated to an estimated 23mph.
Mr Pakrooh said Mr Powell was knocked from his wheelchair and an ambulance conveyed him to Southmead Hospital. He was diagnosed with a fractured right knee and abrasions, the court heard.
On March 31 2020 he was transferred to a care home in Thornbury but, sadly, on April 9 he passed away. A post mortem examination revealed his death was caused by immobilisation after the collision and a combination of pneumonia, leg injury and frailty.
Janis Skudamore, a registered nurse, told the jury she came upon the scene in her car and saw Mr Powell laying in the road. She said the driver of the car which collided with him was very stressed.
She told the court: "He introduced himself as Stuart. He said he hadn't seen them as he was looking at his sat nav after pulling out of the junction.
"I waited until the ambulance arrived and the ambulance took away Mr and Mrs Powell."
Under cross-examination Ms Skudamore confirmed she heard Lefevre say something, either to her or someone else. She said: "I don't remember the exact words he said, it was something like he didn't see Ray and Joan because he was looking at his sat nav after pulling out of Cleeve Hill extension."
PC Sarah Smith confirmed Lefevre gave a negative roadside test for alcohol. She told the court he offered his dashcam to police, and told her he had accelerated out of the junction, looked up and there was the lady and gentleman travelling across the road.
PC Smith did not recall Lefevre mentioning he may have been distracted by his navigation. The court has heard there were no issues with Lefevre's car.
'No idea what happened'
Leferve told the jury he had negotiated a busy junction before the collision. He said he was not conscious of the Powells crossing in front of him, was very much surprised when he saw them and applied his brakes as heavily as he could.
Lefevre said impact with Mr Powell's wheelchair felt like a shunt. He told the jury that he told police he had absolutely no idea what happened.
He recalled: "As I was trying to understand what an earth just happened I said I may have been momentarily distracted by my navigation. I had absolutely no idea how what just happened happened. I was reaching for some modicum of an explanation as to the answer to that question."
Lefevre said he was not consciously looking at his sat nav before the impact. He said he remained at the scene after police told him he could go and messaged Mrs Powell the next day to check on how her husband was.
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