The crash happened on Midville Road, Stickney in February 2019. | Photo: Google Street View
A BMW driver has been jailed for six months for crashing into and causing the death of a man who got out of his car to tend to an injured deer on a country road.
Geoffrey Saville turned around when he saw the deer and parked his VW van on Midville Road, Stickney, in front of where the animal lay on the road.
Mr Saville parked in the opposite carriageway to where he was going and was facing any oncoming vehicles.
He had his headlights and hazard warning lights on but as he picked up the deer he was hit by a BMW which drove into him.
He was thrown into a roadside ditch. His vehicle was pushed off the road with his wife Jill still in the front passenger seat.
56-year-old Mr Saville, who lived nearby, suffered fatal head and chest injuries.
The BMW driver David Eldridge, 69, of Old Fen Lane South, Scrub Hill, near Coningsby, admitted a charge of causing death by careless driving as a result of the incident on February 13, 2019.
Eldridge was jailed for six months and banned from driving for two years and three months. He was ordered to pass an extended retest before being allowed his licence back.
Recorder Graham Huston, passing sentence, told him: “I have given a great deal of anxious consideration as to whether the sentence might be suspended. I have concluded that there are not sufficient grounds for me to do so.
“You have not seen a lit vehicle with hazard lights flashing in your carriageway until you were so close to it that a collision could not be avoided.
“It was a lit obstruction. The road was dead straight. The weather was clear and there was good visibility.
“The prosecution case is that you became distracted by something inside or outside your vehicle. It is the only explanation as to what happened.
“It may be because there was a young puppy on the back seat. It may be you fell asleep. Something stopped you from seeing a lit obstruction in your carriageway. It was not a momentary distraction.”
Daren Samat, prosecuting, said the incident happened as Mr Saville was driving home with his wife after visiting his sister in Norfolk.
Eldridge, who had two pints of beer earlier in the day and later had a glass of red wine with his tea, was driving at around 30 to 40 mph.
Mr Samat said: “It was an open stretch of road. For over 100 yards the defendant should have seen the Volkswagen. It was dark. The weather is described as fine and clear.
“Mrs Saville remained in the car with her seat belt on.
“Mr Saville walked towards the animal. It must have been alive because he knelt down and stroked it. Mrs Saville noticed the lights of a car coming towards them. R Savile was in the process of lifting the deer.”
Mr Samut said that Mrs Saville shouted a warning to her husband but he may not have heard because the car door and windows were closed.
The approaching BMW then drove straight into the Volkswagen.
Passing motorists and a neighbour who heard the collision went to assist and a 999 call was made.
Mr Saville was found nearby. He died as a result of his injuries.
Eldridge was given a blood test which showed he had 21 mgs of alcohol per 100 mls of blood which was below the legal limit of 80 mgs of alcohol.
When Eldridge was interviewed, he claimed that the lights on the VW only came on as he approached it but the court was told that the headlights and hazard warning lights were on throughout the time.
Jill Saville, in a victim impact statement, said she has been left devastated by the loss of her husband and has since suffered post-traumatic stress disorder.
She said: “On February 13, 2019 my whole world fell apart. I’ve lost my best friend, my soul mate and everything. There will always be a massive hole where Geoff was.”
Dominic Pitter, in mitigation, said Eldridge was unable to explain what happened.
“If he had seen the lights he would have avoided a collision. He must have reacted to something because he started to brake.”
He said that Eldridge was full of remorse for what happened.
“This is somebody who has expressed genuine remorse. For some reason he did not see it.
“He suffered serious injuries himself as a result and he was hospitalised for five days. He now suffers ill-health.”
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It has been a tragic week with three deaths on Lincolnshire’s roads after two male motorbike riders and a man on a pedal bike lost their lives.
The roads are now busier again after further lockdown restrictions were eased on April 12, but since then three men have sadly died.
A man died after falling from his pedal bike in Branston on Wednesday, April 14 and police said his death is not being treated as suspicious.
On the same day, a 34-year-old male died after a crash involving two motorcycles near Gainsborough.
The man who lost his life in the collision was riding a silver Wuyang motorcycle. The second motorcycle was a blue Suzuki being ridden by a man in his 30s, who was taken to hospital with suspected serious injuries.
A 54-year-old man from North Lincolnshire also died after his motorbike crashed with a Royal Mail post van on the A631 near Glentham at around 4pm on Thursday, April 15.
This comes after it was revealed on March 11 that for the first time in over three decades nobody had died on the county’s roads in the first months of the year, according to Lincolnshire Road Safety Partnership.
Lincolnshire Police revealed earlier this week that between 2018 and 2020 twenty five motorcyclists lost their lives on Lincolnshire’s roads.
There have been 285 coronavirus cases in Greater Lincolnshire and eight COVID-related deaths so far this week – a 7% drop in cases and one less death from the previous week.
The government’s COVID-19 dashboard on Friday recorded 32 new cases in Lincolnshire, eight in North Lincolnshire and three in North East Lincolnshire.
On April 16, three deaths were registered in Lincolnshire and none in Northern Lincolnshire. These figures include deaths both in and out of hospitals, as well as residents in hospitals outside the county.
NHS England reported two hospitals this week so far, compared to none this time last week.
On Friday, national cases increased by 2,596 to 4,383,732, while deaths rose by 34 to 127,225.
In local news, Lincolnshire health bosses expect COVID-19 cases to rise in our region as lockdown is eased, but are optimistic that if numbers are kept low enough, then people will be free to enjoy the summer.
Andy Fox, Deputy Director of Public Health at Lincolnshire County Council, said the lifting of coronavirus restrictions this week had not caused any specific concerns yet.
Since Wednesday, Greater Lincolnshire has again seen a decrease in its infection rates overall, against an increase nationally.
All districts have seen a fall in their rates, except small increases in North Lincolnshire and South Holland. Lincoln has stayed the same and has the lowest rate in the region.
Boston has the highest infection rate of COVID-19 in Greater Lincolnshire and is ranked 9th in the UK.
Here’s Greater Lincolnshire’s infection rates up to April 16:
Greater Lincolnshire’s infection rates from Apr 9 to Apr 16. | Data: Gov UK / Table: James Mayer for The Lincolnite
England’s R number has dropped slightly to between 0.7 and 1 according to the latest data this week. This means for every 10 people infected with COVID-19, they will pass it on to between seven and 10 others.
The new Indian variant of the COVID virus that’s been detected in the UK has all the hallmarks of a very dangerous virus.
It has two new significant mutations in the spike protein that help it infect cells and evade the immune system.
People are “likely” to need a third dose of the coronavirus vaccine within 12 months of getting the first two, Pfizer’s chief executive has said.
Dr Albert Bourla said a booster jab could be necessary “somewhere between six and 12 months” after the second one – and every year thereafter.
Coronavirus data for Greater Lincolnshire on Friday, April 16
Greater Lincolnshire includes Lincolnshire and the unitary authorities of North and North East (Northern) Lincolnshire.
58,919 cases (up 43)
41,028 in Lincolnshire (up 32)
9,275 in North Lincolnshire (up eight)
8,616 in North East Lincolnshire (up three)
2,185 deaths (up three)
1,613 from Lincolnshire (up three)
304 from North Lincolnshire (no change)
268 from North East Lincolnshire (no change)
of which 1,302 hospital deaths (no change)
810 at United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust (no change)
41 at Lincolnshire Community Health Service hospitals (no change)
1 at Lincolnshire Partnership Foundation Trust (no change)
450 in Northern Lincolnshire (NLAG) (no change)
4,383,732 UK cases, 127,225 deaths
DATA SOURCE — FIGURES CORRECT AT THE TIME OF the latest update. postcode data includes deaths not in healthcare facilities or in hospitals outside authority boundaries.
Plans to demolish part of a former play centre and Chinese takeaway to build 41 new student flats, have been submitted to the City of Lincoln Council.
Killingbeck PLG has applied for permission to demolish “most” of the existing facade of the former home of Imagination Station and Big Wok, on Beaumont Fee, and rebuild it as part of the development.
The main hall, a warehouse and a recently built “link block” to the rear of the building will also be demolished, and will be completely replaced with a new extension.
In documents to the council, the applicant describes how the 41”study bedrooms” will be en-suite and open off a central circulation area.
The build will form part of the Iconinc post-graduate residential units development next door and will sit opposite the Park Court student accommodation on Park Street.
It will include 12 apartments on the ground floor, 11 at first and second floor and seven units on the third floor.
How the build could look.
The application said: “There is a clear need for good quality, post-graduate, city centre, residential accommodation and the economic case for the redevelopment of the site is reinforced by the fact the site can be linked with the new Iconic development so amenities can be shared.
“The demolition of the existing property and the proposed redevelopment will bring positive benefits to the area economically and aesthetically.”
As part of the build, residents will gain shared access to existing facilities including the gym.
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