A truck driver who killed a nurse by crashing into the back of her stationary car after taking his eyes off the road to get a box of Coca-Cola out of his bag has been jailed.
Tanya Forest was driving with her mother in the passenger seat of her Ford Ka on A189 Spine Road, in Cramlington, Northumberland, when the tragedy occurred. Tanya called the NHS on 111 via bluetooth to order a prescription for her mother Sandra when the call operator told her to stop somewhere safe to continue the conversation. But she stopped in the middle of the nearby lane of the double lane.
A number of other cars managed to get around her, but delivery driver Kenneth Wilson had strayed from the road for a crucial six seconds as he rummaged in his drink bag. He did not see a Ford Ka or other vehicles moving around him and crashed into the back.
Read more: Newcastle student kidnapped and sexually assaulted in a car she mistakenly thought was a taxi
Beloved nurse Tanya, 51, died on the spot while her mother was devastated. Wilson, now 55, who has no previous convictions, has been jailed in a Newcastle court.
Kenneth Wilson leaves Magistrates’ Court in Bedlington, Bedlington, Northumberland (Image: Newcastle Chronicle)
It was around 10:45 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 3, 2019, when Wilson, a 14-year-old delivery driver, was driving south on A189 Spine Road after traveling from Doncaster to Amble to deliver milk to a supermarket. Tanya Forest was driving the same road before Wilson when the NHS 111 operator advised her to stop in a safe place.
She stopped at a double lane in the middle of a nearby lane, which prosecutors say was not a good place to stop, but said other drivers should have been prepared and able to take evasive action, as some have done.
One minute and 39 seconds after it stopped, Wilson’s minibus, traveling at 56 miles per hour, crashed into the back of a Ford Ka. The court heard that at least six other cars had escaped Ka safely, and some had turned on their hazard warning lights to warn other drivers. But Wilson missed all the warning signs as he rummaged in his Coca-Cola bag for about six seconds.
Tanya Forest, who was killed on A189 Spine Road in Cramlington (Image: Newcastle Chronicle)
When interviewed by police, he said he did not realize the car had stopped and added: “I just took out my box and it was there.” At the heart of his plea, he agreed to make the “fatal decision” to look in his bag on his left to remove the box, and that he kept his eyes on the road for about six seconds and would see the car and be able to take evasive action. , if he paid the necessary attention.
Tanya died on the spot from injuries to her torso, including a fractured sternum and ribs. Sandra Forrest suffered a punctured lung, extensive injuries to her chest wall, three broken ribs, multiple spinal fractures, an aortic injury, a spiral fracture of her leg, a fractured toe and she had trouble breathing and had to be ventilated. She also had bleeding around her brain and needed leg surgery.
Ms Forrest said she was fighting the “guilt of the survivors” and had missed her daughter’s funeral. She said in a statement about the impact on the victim: “I do not think I can describe in words how I feel about losing her. I don’t feel whole, part of me is missing. We still take her with us wherever we go, but life will never be the same. “
Wilson, 55, of Milton Road, Carcroft, Doncaster, pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and serious injuries while driving dangerously and was sentenced to 28 months and banned from driving for three years and eight months.
Kenneth Wilson, in prison for causing death and serious injuries while driving dangerously (Image: Newcastle Chronicle)
Judge Robert Adams said one witness described the victim’s stop on the two-way lane as “crazy” and added: “No one will ever understand why she decided to stop the car where she did. It was right in the middle of the nearby lane country, which could have led to criminal prosecution anyway if it hadn’t been so devastating. Unfortunately, she did not stop at a safe place. “
The judge told Wilson: “You assumed the road was clear. You took a risk with devastating consequences.
“You wouldn’t rightly expect someone to stop on the road, but there could have been an earlier accident or mechanical damage that led to this vehicle, so it was important to focus on the road.
“It’s a tragic case, and I’m sure you would do anything to turn back time and behave differently. Your decision to take your eyes off the road has had devastating consequences for the Forest family and your own.”
Rachel Hedworth, defending herself, said Wilson was quiet and soft and “completely remorseful”, overwhelmed with guilt and wished he could turn the clock back. She added that he was usually 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 told a witness at the scene, “I didn’t see where this came from.”
Miss Hedworth added: “Tanya Forest’s actions to stop there have contributed significantly to the clash.”
After the incident, Tanya’s family said: “There were two things that Tanya loved more than anything, her family and her vocation. We loved her and there are no words suitable for the deep sorrow and grief we feel at her untimely death. She was a proud, dedicated and qualified nurse, if she had not been killed in November 2019, she would have been at the forefront of Covid-19, standing side by side with her NHS colleagues, caring for patients and working long hard hours to help eradicate this pandemic. Not only has her family felt her loss, the world will be distorted forever because she is no longer part of it. “
Read on:
Add Comment