A much loved taxi driver was killed in a crash after a delivery van strayed into his lane.
Philip Roberts, 62, died when a white Peugeot van moved into the opposite lane and crashed into his blue Skoda. The van was being driven by David Richards, 30, from Kirkby, who pleaded guilty on Thursday, August 19, to causing death by careless driving at Caernarfon Magistrates Court.
The crash happened on the A494 at Brithdir in North Wales on May 6 last year, North Wales Live reports. Richards told a probation officer it may have been a "lapse in concentration". The former Stagecoach driver had been driving for three hours and 40 minutes and should have had a break, the court heard.
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Mr Roberts, known as Phil "Chips" Roberts, was killed at the scene and his passenger Wendy Jones was seriously injured. She was being taken to collect two special needs children to chaperone them to school. She was taken to the same hospital in Stoke as the van driver.
A court heard Mr Roberts, of Criccieth, hadn't been wearing a seatbelt but the prosecutor said the death would not have happened if Richards hadn't gone into the wrong lane. Magistrates heard a moving statement by Mr Roberts' daughter Emma Marini.
In a victim statement she said telling her own daughter about the tragedy left them both devastated. She added that shortly before the collision: "My daughter and I gave him a big hug and told him we loved him. I'm glad we did that."
Prosecutor Julia Galston told the court that after the collision on a right hand bend Mr Roberts sustained injuries "incompatible with life". He hadn't worn a seatbelt but the careless driving caused the accident. Richards had been driving for three hours and 40 minutes and should have had a break - against the Highway Code.
Ms Jones was flown by Helimed to hospital and placed in an induced coma. Simon Gretton, defending Richards, said his client is "deeply upset that the other driver lost his life".
He accepts his vehicle was on the wrong side of the road but it may never be known why. It could have been due to a distraction inside or outside the car or a reflection of sunlight even though the sun was behind him.
He said Richards doesn't remember anything for about 48 hours after the accident, he said. The first thing he remembers is waking up in the Royal Stoke University Hospital "surrounded by medics".
The solicitor said Richards, who had been a Stagecoach driver for nine years before switching to a job which suited family life better, had driven that day from Kirkby in north Liverpool to Speke in south Liverpool to pick up his van. He went on to Lymm near Warrington to collect packages then on to North Wales to deliver them.
He said Richards, of North Mount Road, Kirkby, sustained serious leg fractures. He "struggles to walk" and uses a stick which may be permanent.
He has a partner and young daughter, and he is a man of previous good character. There were 12 references. One was from a police officer friend who called Richards "kindhearted and a decent member of society".
Magistrates chairman Gordon Browne said: "No sentence that the court can pass can make up for the loss of Philip Roberts. We have heard the devastating effect this has had on the family of Mr Roberts and on Wendy Jones, his passenger. And also the effect it has had on you and your family. You have not worked since the accident and now walk with a stick."
He added: "We conclude that there was a degree of carelessness with which Mr Richards' car crossed the white line for no apparent reason and collided with the vehicle of Mr Roberts."
Richards was given a 26-week jail term, suspended for 18 months. He was also disqualified from driving for two years. Imposing the suspended sentence, Magistrates chairman Mr Browne said Richards must take an extended retest after his ban expires.
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