A lorry driver who killed a nurse by smashing into the back of her stationary car after taking his eyes off the road to get a can of coke out of his bag has been jailed.
Tanya Forrest was driving with her mum in the passenger seat of her Ford Ka on the A189 Spine Road, in Cramlington, Northumberland, when tragedy struck. Tanya had called NHS on 111 on a bluetooth device to order a prescription for mum, Sandra, when the call operator told her to stop somewhere safe to continue the call. But she stopped in the middle of the nearside lane of the dual carriageway.
A number of other cars were able to drive around her but delivery driver Kenneth Wilson had taken his eyes off the road for a crucial six seconds as he fumbled in his bag for a drink. He didn't see the Ford Ka or that other vehicles had driven around it and he smashed into the back of it.
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Much-loved nurse Tanya, 51, died at the scene while her mum suffered devastating injuries. Now Wilson, 55, who has no previous convictions, has been jailed at Newcastle Crown Court.
It was around 10.45am on Sunday November 3 2019 that Wilson, a delivery driver for 14 years, was driving south on the A189 Spine Road, having travelled from Doncaster to Amble to deliver milk to a supermarket. Tanya Forrest was driving on the same road, ahead of Wilson, when the NHS 111 call operator advised her to stop somewhere safe.
She pulled over on dual carriageway in the middle of the nearside lane, which prosecutor Sue Hirst accepted was not an appropriate place to stop, but said other drivers should have been ready and able to take evasive action, as some did.
One minute and 39 seconds after she stopped, Wilson's box van, which had been doing 56mph, smashed into the back of the Ford Ka. The court heard at least six other cars had safely avoided the Ka and some had put their hazard lights on the alert other drivers. But Wilson missed all the warning signs as he fumbled around in his bag for a can of coke for around six seconds.
When interviewed by police, he said he didn't realise the car had stopped and added: "I just got my b***** can out and it was there." In his basis of plea he accepted making the "fatal decision" to look into his bag at his left hand side to get out the can and that he took his eyes off the road for about six seconds and would have seen the car and been able to take evasive action if he was paying proper attention.
Tanya died at the scene from injuries to her torso, including a fractured sternum and ribs. Sandra Forrest suffered a punctured lung, extensive injuries to her chest wall, three fractured ribs, multiple spine fractures, an injury to her aorta, a spiral fracture of her leg, a fractured finger and she suffered breathing problems and had to be put on a ventilator. She also suffered bleeding around the brain and needed surgery to her leg.
Mrs Forrest said she has been struggling with "survivor's guilt" and missed her daughter's funeral. She said in a victim impact statement: "I don't think I can put into words how I feel about losing her. I don't feel whole, a part of me is missing. We still take her with us wherever we go but life will never ever be the same."
Wilson, 55, of Milton Road, Carcroft, Doncaster, pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and serious injury by dangerous driving and was jailed for 28 months and banned from driving for three years and eight months.
Judge Robert Adams said one witness described the place the victim stopped on the dual carriageway as "crazy" and added: "No-one will ever know why she decided to stop the car where she did. It was just in the middle of the nearside lane, which could have led to a prosecution anyway, had it not had such devastating consequences. Tragically, she didn't stop in a safe place."
The judge told Wilson: "You assumed the road was clear. You took a risk, with devastating consequences.
"You would, rightly, not expect someone to stop in the carriageway but there could have been an earlier accident or a mechanical failure which would have resulted in a vehicle being there, so it was essential you were concentrating on the road.
"This is a tragic case and I'm sure you would do anything to roll back time and behave in a different way. Your decision to take your eyes off the road caused devastating consequences to the Forrest family and to your own."
Rachel Hedworth, defending, said Wilson is quiet and mild mannered and is "utterly remorseful", overwhelmed with guilt and wishes he could turn back the clock. She added that he is, ordinarily, a "careful and conscientious driver" who called the emergency services afterwards and was "shaking and looked like he was going to burst into tears". He said to one witness at the scene: "Where did that come from, I didn't see it."
Miss Hedworth added: "The actions of Tanya Forrest in stopping there contributed significantly to the collision."
After the case, Tanya's family said: "There were two things Tanya loved above anything, her family, and her vocation. We loved her and there are no words adequate for the deep grief and sorrow we feel at her untimely passing. She was a proud, dedicated, and skilled nurse, if she had not been killed in November 2019, she would have been on the front line against Covid-19, standing shoulder to shoulder with her colleagues in the NHS, caring for patients and working long hard hours to help eradicate this pandemic. It is not just her family that have felt her loss, the world will be forever lopsided because she is no longer part of it."
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