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Chronicle Live
Chronicle Live
National
Rob Kennedy

High Heaton van driver who ran red light found not guilty of causing death of pensioner

A van driver has been found not guilty of causing the death of a pensioner by careless driving.

Paul Eskandari admitted careless driving after going through a red light in Newcastle, which he thought was on green. His Mercedes Sprinter hit a VW Polo driven by Robert Addison, who died ten days later.

Now jurors at Newcastle Crown Court have found Eskandari was not responsible for the death of Mr Addison, who was in his 70s, following a trial.

Read more: Gateshead murderer 'Billy the Bump' who went on to rape girl jailed for 27 years

The collision occured in March 2021 at the junction of Fossway and Scrogg Road, in Walker. Mr Addison was turning right when his car was struck by the van.

The pensioner suffered tenderness to his sternum and the airbags went off but he declined to go to hospital and went home. His health deteriorated in the days after the collision and he suffered falls before dying on April 4.

Jurors were told he died as a result of a tear to a pocket around his speen which later ruptured but he already had significant health issues before the collision and had fallen previously.

For the careless driving offence, Eskandari, 41, of Birchwood Avenue, High Heaton, was fined £675, must pay prosecution costs of £80 and his licence was endorsed with six penalty points.

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