Speeding driver killed woman in ambulance crash

A speeding driver who fatally injured an 84-year-old woman when he crashed into an ambulance taking her to hospital has been given a suspended prison sentence.

Daniel Banks, 23, was travelling at 77mph on the 70mph A19 near Seaham in heavy rain when he lost control and hit the vehicle transporting Sheila Hill, Newcastle Crown Court heard.

Ms Hill, from Peterlee, died five months later, with her family saying she went from being a "fairly independent OAP" to a "shell of a body with no enjoyment".

Banks, from Hartlepool, was jailed for 15 months suspended for two years after he admitted causing death by careless driving.

Ms Hill was being taken to hospital on 14 April 2023 after suffering a fall at her assisted living home in Peterlee when Banks crashed into the vehicle at about 20:00 BST, prosecutor Christopher Rose said.

It was dark and raining with a lot of surface water on the road, with Banks calculated to have been travelling at 77mph in the seconds before hitting the ambulance and at 76mph when he struck it, the court heard.

Two paramedics suffered minor injuries, with the driver getting whiplash and a jarred knee, while Ms Hill, who was strapped to a stretcher, had head injuries, broken ribs and shoulder bones and a collapsed lung, the court heard.

Banks, who had been overtaking vehicles while travelling to Newcastle for a night out with friends, told police he aquaplaned on the surface water.

Ms Hill spent two and a half months in hospital, first Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary and then Sunderland Royal, before being moved to a full-time care home where she died on 6 September 2023, Rose said.

The crash left her unable to leave her bed, with speech and eating difficulties and a worsening memory, the court heard.

Home Office pathologist Dr Nigel Cooper concluded her cause of death was acute aspiration pneumonia aligned with dementia contributed to by the injuries caused in the crash, the court heard.

In statements read to the court, Ms Hill's two sons said the effect of the injuries she suffered had been "overwhelming".

One said it was "heartbreaking watching her slide down hill very fast", adding she was not afraid of dying but being left in need of permanent care, as she was after the crash, was her "worst nightmare".

A close friend of hers for 60 years died while she was in hospital and she was "heartbroken" at not being able to say goodbye or attend the funeral, the court heard.

But the man said he did not feel any anger towards Banks, who had made a decision that night they would all have to live with for the rest of their lives.

Ms Hill's other son said they essentially watched her "slowly die" and she had gone from being a "fairly independent OAP" before the crash to a "shell of a body with no enjoyment" after it.

In mitigation, the court heard Banks, a mechanic who passed his driving test in 2020 and had a clean record, was devastated by his actions.

Judge Edward Bindloss said he should have been driving "conservatively and well within the speed limit" given the road conditions where there was a risk of aquaplaning.

He said Banks had "no reason to be in a hurry" and "shouldn't have been rushing", but accepted the driver had shown "guilt and remorse".

He also said he had a realistic prospect of rehabilitation and did not pose a high risk of reoffending.

Banks was ordered to complete 200 hours unpaid work and banned from driving for two years.

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