MAYHEM ON THE A19
Pensioner put lives in peril driving wrong way along dual carriageway for four-and-a-half miles after getting lost
A RETIRED bus and taxi driver put lives in peril by driving the wrong way along a dual carriageway for four and a half miles after getting lost.
Pensioner Edward Burman was helping a relative with shopping during the pandemic when he became disorientated in his Vauxhall Corsa near the Tyne Tunnel.
Realising he had inadvertently ended up in the lane that was going to take him under the river to South Tyneside, he turned around.
But he ended up travelling north in the southbound carriageway of the A19 in “moderately busy” traffic one morning last June.
Newcastle Crown Court heard the 76-year-old covered 4.6 miles between the Tyne Tunnel and Killingworth, collided with one car containing a young child, caused another to swerve into a road sign and had several near misses.
Burman, who has no previous convictions, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and was given a suspended prison sentence.
Shada Mellor, prosecuting, said it was around 10.20am on June 17 last year that the incident happened.
Miss Mellor told the court: “The defendant, while out shopping for a relative who he was helping during the pandemic, became lost and confused around the Tyne Tunnel area.
“He turned the vehicle around by the change machine and drove on the wrong side of the A19 dual carriageway for 4.6 miles.”
As he drove along, police received several reports of the hazard, which was caught on a dashboard camera.
Miss Mellor said: “It can be seen that the A19 was moderately busy and vehicles were forced to move out of his way.
“He did not pull over, nor was he travelling at slow speed.
“The defendant narrowly avoided several collisions and was involved in two notable collisions. In both, children were present in the cars.”
A woman had her five-year-old son in the passenger seat and moved into the outside lane to overtake a slow moving vehicle.
Miss Mellor said: “She saw the defendant’s vehicle and she swerved and collided with a road sign which stopped her vehicle.
“There was a considerable amount of damage to the vehicle. She and her son suffered minor injuries.”
Despite this crash, Burman did not stop and continued driving into oncoming traffic.
After more near misses, he then crashed into a Nissan being driven by a grandfather and his two-yearold granddaughter.
Miss Mellor said: “He was doing 60mph in the slow lane and he began to overtake a large truck.
“When he pulled into the fast lane he collided with the defendant’s vehicle.
“Considerable damage was caused. He and his granddaughter were taken to hospital. He had minor injuries but fortunately his granddaughter had no injuries.”
Burman, of Wilton drive, Monkseaton, North Tyneside, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and was sentenced to four months suspended for 12 months with a three-month curfew, a £1,000 fine and a two year driving ban.
Recorder Nicholas Lumley QC told him: “You have reached the age of 76 having for 20, nearly 30 years earned your living as a professional driver, but on June 17 last year it was as if you had never driven.
“You became lost and that might have been understandable as far as mistakes go but you persisted in your mistake in the most remarkable way.
“You proceeded northbound on a busy dual carriageway in the face of oncoming traffic.
“It was moderately busy, people were going about their business. Mothers with children, grandfathers with grandchildren, each of them leaping out of the way to avoid colliding with you.”
The judge said he would suspend the sentence due to his age and lack of previous convictions but added he would have been locked up if anyone had been seriously hurt.
Vic Laffey, defending, said: “It’s a somewhat bizarre situation. He took a wrong turn on a fairly new, busy roundabout and went in completely the wrong direction.
When he realised he was in a lane taking him through the tunnel he panicked and turned around.
“The situation got worse and worse and worse.
“He found himself going the wrong way for a significant period of time and couldn’t get off the road.
“More by luck than judgement, nobody came to any significant harm.
“Ironically he has been both a taxi driver and a bus driver for 25 years without any issues of any sort.”
Mr Laffey said married Burman has had two heart attacks, most recently a year ago.
He added that he has vowed never to get behind the wheel of a car again.