A JURY has heard two cars were seen “absolutely flying” moments before a catastrophic crash which claimed the life of a 23-year-old Wigton man.
Steven Parker lost control of his powerful BMW 335D X Drive while travelling behind pal Liam John Dixon’s modified Vauxhall Corsa westbound on the town bypass, between the A596’s Spittal Farm and Kirkbride junctions, at around 4-50pm on February 3, 2018. The BMW spun sideways, clipped the front of the Corsa, left the road and demolished two trees. Mr Parker died while one passenger suffered a brain injury and facial fractures.
Dixon, 27, of Throstle Avenue, Wigton, is on trial at Carlisle Crown Court. He denies one charge of causing death by dangerous driving.
Jurors have heard Dixon – who escaped injury – and Mr Parker were friends with a “shared interest in fast and powerful cars”.
Opening the case to jurors, prosecutor Stuart Neale alleged that at the time of the tragedy, the pair were engaged in a “ludicrously high speed joust, chase, burnout”. He alleged the pair were travelling “possibly more than 118mph but certainly at a minimum of 100mph” on the 50mph limited stretch of road.
Eyewitness Barbara Brown told jurors how she turned off the A596 into her nearby home address by shortly before the crash. “I looked back because I got a fright, and saw two cars absolutely flying past,” she recalled.
“How close were they to each other?” Mr Neale asked her.
“About half a car length,” she replied.
“Keeping pace with one another?” asked Mr Neale.
“Yes,” she responded.
In his opening address, Mr Neale had told the jury: “These cases are emotional for all parties. It is important that you put aside emotion. You have taken an oath to try the case by the evidence, not emotion. It is evidence that matters.”
The trial continues.
