A great-grandmother was killed after a driver followed a green light not meant for him and crashed. Margaret Hardacre died in the crash on December 4, 2021, in Bootle.
The crash was caused by Ronald Maloney, 38, of York Road, Crosby, who was driving his Ford Galaxy at the time of the crash. He drove through a red light at the junction between Dunnings Bridge Road and Park Lane West after looking at a faulty traffic light, which had moved to face him, according to the Liverpool Echo.
Prosecuting at the hearing at Liverpool Magistrates' Court, Leanne Kennedy explained that there had been a red traffic light diagonally opposite to Maloney, another ahead of him, and a filter light to his left. However, the filter light had been moved 90 degrees and was facing Maloney directly.
When the filter light turned green, Maloney drove forward believing it to be the light he was supposed to follow. Ms Kennedy said: “There was a traffic light not for Mr Maloney’s line of traffic which had blown around in the wind. That was a filter light which was showing to turn right but, obviously, Mr Maloney was going straight on. That traffic light wasn’t for him."
Maloney drove into the junction but collided with Ms Hardacre's daughter's, Joan Cosgrove's, Audi A3, which had been following the correct signals. Maloney's car flipped and landed on the bonnet of another vehicle.
Ms Hardacre and Ms Cosgrove were taken to hospital as a precaution. However, Ms Hardacre suffered a perforated bowel and died three days later. Ms Cosgrove has since been diagnosed with PTSD. The driver of the third vehicle, Keith Kiernan, suffered an injury to his back, shoulder and muffled hearing following the incident.
In a victim personal statement written by Ms Cosgrove, she said she suffered "incomprehensible pain" every day due to the loss of her mother. She said: “My mother was 93 at the time, but despite her age she had many more years to live. I awake every day to the image of my mum slumped like a rag doll in the passenger seat. I was the person who convinced her to leave the house that day, I was the person driving the car, I was responsible for her safety."
She added that she cries every day and has not driven since the accident. Following the crash, Maloney was interviewed by the police on March 18, 2022, and made a "full and frank" admission to the police. Officers said he showed extreme remorse for the crash.
Jim Smith, defending, said the accident had occurred due to the broken traffic light. He said: “There is no replacement for the incalculable loss and immeasurable bereavement that has been suffered by the family in this case.
“He knows he can never replace the loss and hurt that has been suffered by the family. He has of course borne the scars of that incident and will continue to do so for the rest of his life."
Mr Smith added: “He was momentarily and fatally distracted by that broken traffic light. This was clearly an accident waiting to happen, and unfortunately the perfect storm with the broken traffic light, the weather, and of course the clearing of Dunnings Bridge road, meant the chances of an accident like that happening were high."
District Judge Paul Healey accepted that the accident had had a profound impact on Maloney as well as the victim. Maloney was handed a community order for 12 months and ordered to complete 120 hours of unpaid work. He was disqualified from driving for 12 months and ordered to pay a £95 victim surcharge and £215 in costs.
