A man told a jury he yelled “stop” as a van reversed the wrong way along a one-way residential town street and into fatal collision with an elderly pedestrian.
David Barron, 57, is on trial at Carlisle Crown Court. He denies causing the death of pensioner William Hughes in Wigton on July 31 2019, by driving a Mercedes Sprinter either dangerously or carelessly.
Resident Wayne Jackson was talking with a friend across narrow New Street at around 4pm. Parts of the town centre were closed due to a police incident, meaning traffic could not legitimately enter one-way New Street from King Street.
As Mr Jackson talked, he saw 84-year-old Mr Hughes walking in the middle of the road towards King Street — against the flow of any potential traffic — from Station Road where he had got off a bus.
“He was just walking slowly,” said Mr Jackson, who recognised the pedestrian as he got closer. He then saw a reversing van behind him.
“How long after seeing Mr Hughes walking up the road and the van behind him did you realise there was a problem?” asked prosecutor Jon Close.
“The second time I looked, the van was getting closer,” replied Mr Jackson. “I was running down (the road) thinking the van was going to hit him. I was shouting ‘stop, stop, stop’.”
Mr Close asked: “Did the van stop?” Mr Jackson responded: “No.” Mr Close asked: “Did Mr Hughes react at all to you shouting?”
“No,” said Mr Jackson. “He didn’t have chance because by the time I got to him he was going under the van.”
He also told jurors: “I was braying (banging) on the van door trying to get Mr Hughes out but I couldn’t because the van just kept reversing. He went under.”
Barron, of Hillcrest Avenue, Carlisle, got out. “I just said ‘why didn’t you stop?’ He was in shock,” said Mr Jackson.
Police arrived quickly but despite heroic efforts by the emergency services, Mr Hughes died. The court heard it was agreed by prosecution and defence that the pensioner had no reported hearing impairments.
Barron, a self-employed contractor collecting and delivering on behalf of company DPD, had been intending to visit a New Street business that day to check for any parcels. Jurors have heard of a slow-moving tragedy with the van travelling at less than 5mph.
The trial continues.
