A pensioner whose careless driving caused a crash which injured a rider while her beloved horse was seriously injured and put to sleep has been sentenced by magistrates.
George Harrison, 73, was behind the wheel of a Land Rover Freelander, travelling south on the A6 at Clifton, near Penrith, at around 2.45pm on December 30 2020.
Also travelling south, in front of him and walking their horses side by side, were experienced riders Hannah Farrell and Francesca Kennedy, both in high-visibility clothing.
Carlisle magistrates’ court heard today how Miss Farrell — on the inside — looked over her shoulder, saw Harrison’s dark coloured Land Rover heading for her friend and screamed “no, no, no”. “I started shouting ‘stop’,” Miss Farrell later stated, “but it was too late.”
She added of Harrison: “He was travelling as if we weren’t there.”
The Land Rover collided with the rear of Francesca’s brown and white Irish gelding, Bart, which was thrown on to the bonnet and then the ground, along with his distressed rider.
Harrison got out of his vehicle, saying: “I’m sorry. I didn’t even see you. I don’t know what to say.”
Both woman spoke of low sun to their right but said they weren’t blinded by that, nor any glare from the road. Miss Kennedy recalled in a statement lying in the road in the aftermath, saying: “I remember thinking I was going to die.”
Doctors and paramedics were despatched to the scene after the crash, along with a specialist veterinary team.
However, 600kg-plus Bart was later put to sleep. In a victim impact statement, Miss Kennedy described having ridden for the British team and, on the fateful day, of wearing bright clothing which meant “you couldn’t miss us”.
She spoke of since suffering repeated breakdowns, “horrific” post-traumatic stress disorder, and of believing she wouldn’t get another horse. “He has taken away my best friend,” Miss Kennedy said of Harrison. “He has been reckless in the way he was driving.”
Statements from shocked eye witnesses were also read to the court, some recalling their horror when it appeared clear the Land Rover wasn’t going to stop.
Harrison, of Clifton Hill Gardens, Clifton, near Penrith, admitted careless driving and recalled everything happening “in a split-second”.
A married father, and partner in the family’s dairy and beef farm in Clifton, he also spoke of being blinded by the sun before the crash with his vision then further impaired by shadows caused by adjacent buildings. “He deeply regrets the incident,” said his lawyer, Steven Marsh.
“This is a case where Mr Harrison, as an experienced driver, has been caught out by areas of sun and shade.”
Magistrates, who heard Harrison had voluntarily not driven for several months after the crash, fined him £200 and imposed nine penalty licence points.
“We believe that the speed you were driving was excessive under the circumstances,” said lead magistrate Margaret Robb. “If you can’t see, you need to slow down.”
