A man has been jailed after causing the death of a nine-year-old boy in a hit-and-run road collision.

Luke Widdop, aged 51, of Park Avenue, Keighley, was sentenced to eight years in prison at Bradford Crown Court today after previously pleading guilty to causing death by careless driving while unfit through drugs. He was also banned from driving for seven years with an extension of four years.

George Lewis, aged nine, was pronounced dead at the scene of the collision in Sutton Lane, Sutton-in-Craven, on Friday, September 17, 2021.

Widdop failed to stop at the time and later attended a police station in North Yorkshire where he was arrested.

Detective Constable Mark Turner, of the Major Collision Enquiry Team said: “The reckless actions of Widdop took away any future for George who was just walking home with his family.

“We have continued to support the family throughout this long investigation, and I hope today can bring them some closure and sense of justice, in what has been an extremely difficult few years for them.

“I hope today’s sentence also sends a clear message to anyone who thinks they can get behind the wheel whilst unfit through drink or drugs.”

https://www.westyorkshire.police.uk/news-appeals/driver-jailed-over-hit-and-run-collision-killed-nine-year-old-boy

On 19/10/2023 16:36, Simon Mason wrote:
> A man has been jailed after causing the death of a nine-year-old boy in a hit-and-run road collision.
>
> Luke Widdop, aged 51, of Park Avenue, Keighley, was sentenced to eight years in prison at Bradford Crown Court today after previously pleading guilty to causing death by careless driving while unfit through drugs. He was also banned from driving for seven years with an extension of four years.
>
> George Lewis, aged nine, was pronounced dead at the scene of the collision in Sutton Lane, Sutton-in-Craven, on Friday, September 17, 2021.
>
> Widdop failed to stop at the time and later attended a police station in North Yorkshire where he was arrested.
>
> Detective Constable Mark Turner, of the Major Collision Enquiry Team said: “The reckless actions of Widdop took away any future for George who was just walking home with his family.
>
> “We have continued to support the family throughout this long investigation, and I hope today can bring them some closure and sense of justice, in what has been an extremely difficult few years for them.
>
> “I hope today’s sentence also sends a clear message to anyone who thinks they can get behind the wheel whilst unfit through drink or drugs.”
>
> https://www.westyorkshire.police.uk/news-appeals/driver-jailed-over-hit-and-run-collision-killed-nine-year-old-boy

...and the cycling interest is?

On 19/10/2023 16:36, Simon Mason wrote:
> A man has been jailed after causing the death of a nine-year-old boy in a hit-and-run road collision.
>
> Luke Widdop, aged 51, of Park Avenue, Keighley, was sentenced to eight years in prison at Bradford Crown Court today after previously pleading guilty to causing death by careless driving while unfit through drugs. He was also banned from driving for seven years with an extension of four years.
>
> George Lewis, aged nine, was pronounced dead at the scene of the collision in Sutton Lane, Sutton-in-Craven, on Friday, September 17, 2021.
>
> Widdop failed to stop at the time and later attended a police station in North Yorkshire where he was arrested.
>
> Detective Constable Mark Turner, of the Major Collision Enquiry Team said: “The reckless actions of Widdop took away any future for George who was just walking home with his family.
>
> “We have continued to support the family throughout this long investigation, and I hope today can bring them some closure and sense of justice, in what has been an extremely difficult few years for them.
>
> “I hope today’s sentence also sends a clear message to anyone who thinks they can get behind the wheel whilst unfit through drink or drugs.”
>
> https://www.westyorkshire.police.uk/news-appeals/driver-jailed-over-hit-and-run-collision-killed-nine-year-old-boy

....and the cycling interest is?

On Thursday, October 19, 2023 at 6:50:50 PM UTC+1, soup wrote:

> >
> > “I hope today’s sentence also sends a clear message to anyone who thinks they can get behind the wheel whilst unfit through drink or drugs.”
> >
> > https://www.westyorkshire.police.uk/news-appeals/driver-jailed-over-hit-and-run-collision-killed-nine-year-old-boy
> ...and the cycling interest is?

It's very clear - we have to deal with these dangerous criminal killers every time we venture out onto our roads.

On 19/10/2023 07:06 pm, Simon Mason wrote:

> On Thursday, October 19, 2023 at 6:50:50 PM UTC+1, soup wrote:
>
>>>
>>> “I hope today’s sentence also sends a clear message to anyone who thinks they can get behind the wheel whilst unfit through drink or drugs.”
>>>
>>> https://www.westyorkshire.police.uk/news-appeals/driver-jailed-over-hit-and-run-collision-killed-nine-year-old-boy
>> ...and the cycling interest is?
>
> It's very clear - we have to deal with these dangerous criminal killers every time we venture out onto our roads.

AFAICR, *you* are the only one here who has ever boasted of being in
"control" of a vehicle whilst drunk.

On Thursday, October 19, 2023 at 6:49:59 PM UTC+1, soup wrote:

> ..and the cycling interest is?

These dangerous entities kill or seriously injure 25000 people a year - many of them cyclists.

Simon Mason <swldxer1958@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Thursday, October 19, 2023 at 6:49:59 PM UTC+1, soup wrote:
>
>> ..and the cycling interest is?
>
> These dangerous entities kill or seriously injure 25000 people a year -
> many of them cyclists.

Cyclist deaths have been falling, to a new low, down 32%. Don’t you read
the stats?

--
Spike

On Thursday, October 19, 2023 at 6:49:59 PM UTC+1, soup wrote:

> > https://www.westyorkshire.police.uk/news-appeals/driver-jailed-over-hit-and-run-collision-killed-nine-year-old-boy
> ..and the cycling interest is?

The court was told he had been looking down into the footwell of his van and not paying attention to his driving when the crash happened at Shurdington, near Cheltenham, on December 12, 2021.

Wayne Anderson.

Anderson of Ladysmith Road, was driving in his white sign-written van along Yarnolds in Shurdington at 10.20am that day when he failed to take the right hand bend and careered straight into the 60-year-old pedestrian, who was walking on the footpath towards a local convenience store.

The CCTV footage showed the van can approaching the bend before going too wide and mounting the pavement. Moments later the van hit the pedestrian, who had just walked into view from a side street.

Anderson carried on driving before returning to the scene where he found that the pedestrian lying motionless, having sustained a broken back and a broken sternum.

The court was told that the victim had to undergo surgery, which meant that he lost about one to two centimetres in height.

Anderson was subsequently arrested for the offence and was found to be intoxicated through the use of cocaine.

He disputed, however, that he was impaired due to the use of drugs and maintained he did not know how the cocaine had got in to his system.

He stated that he had been looking at something in the footwell of the passenger side of the car when the collision occurred.

Gloucester Crown Court.

The Crown Prosecution Service chose not to argue the drugs issue in a fact-finding hearing and accepted that Anderson was not impaired by the cocaine, despite being more than twice over the legal limit for driving,

Anderson was found guilty of driving whilst under the influence of drugs and causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

Judge Jason Taylor KC told Anderson: "What's become apparent throughout this hearing is that you were effectively looking in the footwell of the passenger side of the car when the collision occurred.

"The injuries that you caused were significant and this has resulted in the victim losing about one to two centimetres in height. Fortunately, additional surgery is not necessary.

"The victim's victim personal statement explains how he had to take off over two months off work and has had to give up his martial arts interest.

"The analysis of your blood reveals that you had cocaine in your system. The tolerance level for drugs is effectively zero. Your basis of plea suggests that you've no idea how that was ingested.

"But be that as it may, the fact that it was present must be reflected in your sentence, even though there was no visible sign of impairment.

"It's important to stress that there is no suggestion whatsoever that your actions that day were caused, or contributed to, by the use of drugs in your system. The inattention was caused by you looking in the footwell.

"You are a man who is effectively of good character. There are no legal guidelines for causing serious injury by dangerous driving, but I take the view that looking in the footwell goes beyond that required of paying attention to where you are driving.

"It's not the same as glancing around seeing what is on the passenger seat. You vision was obviously right down in that footwell while paying no attention to the road in front of you.

"In this instance you turned your car into a weapon. This offence passes the custody threshold."

The judge sentenced Anderson to a prison term of 16 months and suspended it for 18 months. He ordered him to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work and pay court costs of £425 and a mandatory surcharge.

Anderson was disqualified from driving for two years for both causing serious injury by dangerous driving and driving while under the influence of drugs and he was ordered to take an extended retest.

Simon Mason <swldxer1958@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Thursday, October 19, 2023 at 6:49:59 PM UTC+1, soup wrote:
>
>>> https://www.westyorkshire.police.uk/news-appeals/driver-jailed-over-hit-and-run-collision-killed-nine-year-old-boy
>> ..and the cycling interest is?

Already posted some months ago by Mason.

Here are the headers to that post:

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Subject: Re: Cyclist threatened driver with blade before being hit by a car
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> The court was told he had been looking down into the footwell of his van
> and not paying attention to his driving when the crash happened at
> Shurdington, near Cheltenham, on December 12, 2021.
>
> Wayne Anderson.
>
> Anderson of Ladysmith Road, was driving in his white sign-written van
> along Yarnolds in Shurdington at 10.20am that day when he failed to take
> the right hand bend and careered straight into the 60-year-old
> pedestrian, who was walking on the footpath towards a local convenience store.
>
> The CCTV footage showed the van can approaching the bend before going too
> wide and mounting the pavement. Moments later the van hit the pedestrian,
> who had just walked into view from a side street.
>
> Anderson carried on driving before returning to the scene where he found
> that the pedestrian lying motionless, having sustained a broken back and a broken sternum.
>
> The court was told that the victim had to undergo surgery, which meant
> that he lost about one to two centimetres in height.
>
> Anderson was subsequently arrested for the offence and was found to be
> intoxicated through the use of cocaine.
>
> He disputed, however, that he was impaired due to the use of drugs and
> maintained he did not know how the cocaine had got in to his system.
>
> He stated that he had been looking at something in the footwell of the
> passenger side of the car when the collision occurred.
>
> Gloucester Crown Court.
>
> The Crown Prosecution Service chose not to argue the drugs issue in a
> fact-finding hearing and accepted that Anderson was not impaired by the
> cocaine, despite being more than twice over the legal limit for driving,
>
> Anderson was found guilty of driving whilst under the influence of drugs
> and causing serious injury by dangerous driving.
>
> Judge Jason Taylor KC told Anderson: "What's become apparent throughout
> this hearing is that you were effectively looking in the footwell of the
> passenger side of the car when the collision occurred.
>
> "The injuries that you caused were significant and this has resulted in
> the victim losing about one to two centimetres in height. Fortunately,
> additional surgery is not necessary.
>
> "The victim's victim personal statement explains how he had to take off
> over two months off work and has had to give up his martial arts interest.
>
> "The analysis of your blood reveals that you had cocaine in your system.
> The tolerance level for drugs is effectively zero. Your basis of plea
> suggests that you've no idea how that was ingested.
>
> "But be that as it may, the fact that it was present must be reflected in
> your sentence, even though there was no visible sign of impairment.
>
> "It's important to stress that there is no suggestion whatsoever that
> your actions that day were caused, or contributed to, by the use of drugs
> in your system. The inattention was caused by you looking in the footwell.
>
> "You are a man who is effectively of good character. There are no legal
> guidelines for causing serious injury by dangerous driving, but I take
> the view that looking in the footwell goes beyond that required of paying
> attention to where you are driving.
>
> "It's not the same as glancing around seeing what is on the passenger
> seat. You vision was obviously right down in that footwell while paying
> no attention to the road in front of you.
>
> "In this instance you turned your car into a weapon. This offence passes
> the custody threshold."
>
> The judge sentenced Anderson to a prison term of 16 months and suspended
> it for 18 months. He ordered him to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work
> and pay court costs of £425 and a mandatory surcharge.
>
> Anderson was disqualified from driving for two years for both causing
> serious injury by dangerous driving and driving while under the influence
> of drugs and he was ordered to take an extended retest.
>

--
Spike

Philippa Hope approached Jodi Gordon at a walking and cycling event in October 2015 and described how she had been involved in a road traffic incident in January 2015. 



At around 5.00pm on 22nd January 2015, Philippa was making her way from work at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh to the bus stop on Old Dalkeith Road. She was walking along the pavement when suddenly a car mounted the pavement and knocked her to the ground. Astonishingly, the driver didn’t stop and drove off.
Luckily, a witness, travelling behind the car followed it and got a note of the registration number. He then phoned the Police before returning to the scene to help Philippa who required medical treatment for her injuries from paramedics.

Initially, Philippa thought the Police would deal with matters and her main concern was that the driver should be apprehended and charged.
Although the police didn’t attend the accident, they did speak to Philippa and were also away of the vehicle registration number. For several weeks and months, nothing appeared to be happening.

Philippa felt she was getting the run-around and her case was being passed from pillar to post. Eventually, the police told her that they had been unable to trace the driver of the vehicle. Whilst they had details of the vehicle registration number, they could not verify who the driver had been at the time of the collision given that there were a number of people named on the insurance policy.

A period of six months elapsed before the Police were able to finally trace the driver. Unfortunately, by that point, it was too late to submit a report to the Procurator Fiscal and therefore no criminal charges could be brought against the driver!

Philippa was extremely disappointed with the police investigation and therefore discussed matters with Jodi Gordon when she met with her. Jodi explained to Philippa that she was entitled to claim damages in civil law and, as Pedestrian Law Scotland are experts in claiming damages for those injured in road traffic collisions, Jodi agreed to take her case on.

A claim was intimated to the driver’s insurance company and liability was admitted. Several offers were made to settle Philippa’s case, but the offers made were far too low. Although fortunate not to have sustained a serious injury, Philippa did damage her pelvis and needed on-going chiropractic treatment.
Faced with an insurance company failing to increase a low offer, Jodi raised Philippa’s case in the Sheriff Court and within six weeks of the action being raised, a more sensible offer of £5,445 was put forward and duly accepted.

Philippa commented, "Paying £10 to get into Cyclefest and then meeting Jodi of Pedestrian Law Scotland was the best £10 I have ever spent. Jodi's advice and support were excellent from day 1.

I am still very disappointed with the police, their inability to follow up with the witnesses and subsequently trace the driver. Their resources just seem so stretched right now and clearly my case didn't register highly enough given there wasn't a death or serious injury. The trouble though is that whilst I was fortunate to avoid serious injury, the next person might not be so lucky!"

https://www.roadtrafficaccidentlaw.co.uk/casestudy/car-mounts-pavement-and-hits-pedestrian

This is the moment a driver mounted the pavement at a pedestrian crossing, narrowly missing a pedestrian.

The dashcam video, shot at around 4.30pm on Tuesday, August 8, in Gornalwood, shows a white Toyota IQ turning right out of Bull Street and into Abbey Road.

After driving a few yards, the motorist then turns right at the pedestrian crossing - passing through the gap in the railings and over the tactile paving to mount the pavement, just as a pedestrian in a white hoodie is approaching. Beyond the crossing are parking spaces outside a row of shops.

The person who filmed it described the driving as "shocking", and said they wanted to share the footage to "make people aware ".

They said: "You can see the lad was walking there and they still carried on, not even stopping when they were inches from him.

"My heart stopped cause the pedestrian didn’t see, that's why I papped my horn to try get their attention."

https://www.expressandstar.com/news/local-hubs/dudley/2023/08/26/watch-moment-driver-mounts-pavement-at-pedestrian-crossing-narrowly-avoiding-pedestrian/