Driver, 78, kills woman after pressing car’s accelerator, not the brake

A78-YEAR-OLD driver killed a woman and caused serious injuries to two others in a head-on crash after he accidently hit the accelerator instead of the brake.

The 73-year-old victim was travelling with her husband and daughter and was declared dead at the scene.

Terry Ing, of Levitsfield Close, Rockfield, Monmouth, had been approaching the B4235 junction heading towards Usk on September 29, 2021, when he lost control of his silver Suzuki.

A sentencing at Cardiff Crown Court yesterday heard that the now 79-year-old’s car “flew” across the carriageway on the A472 near Usk, at the junction with the A449. A witness described how Ing’s car “narrowly” missed a vehicle recovery operation before it collided head-on into the Green family’s Seat Ibiza, which had been travelling north on the A449.

Frances Green, her husband, John Green, and their daughter, Beverley Green – from Norwich – had been out for the day at Barry Island and were heading back to their holiday accommodation in Monmouth when the crash happened.

Mrs Green died from her injuries at the scene, while John Green and Beverley Green both sustained serious injuries.

Addressing Ing, Judge Lucy Crowther KC said: “The Green family and their dog Mia had been on holiday returning from a trip to Barry Island.

“You were approaching the B4235 where you would have been required to give way at the junction. There were no defects on the road and no damage to the surface. On the roadside there was a breakdown recovery surrounded by safety cones.

“As you approached the junction, there was a vehicle ahead of you waiting at the junction. You [overtook] and travelled on the wrong side of the road. You moved into the junction ‘flying’ out of the junction. You crossed two lanes of traffic coming to your right. You crossed the central reservation [very] close to the recovery vehicle. You didn’t hit them, but you hit the protective cones around them. Witnesses saw at no point your brake lights come on. You drove head on into a car driven lawfully and carefully by Mr Green. Mr Green had no chance at all. There was nothing he could do. The impact was catastrophic.”

The court heard that following the incident, Ing told police he believed he had his foot on the brake while the crash unfolded and therefore thought there must be a problem with his car. However, investigations found no faults with his car. The Crown accepted that the incident happened as a result of Ing misplacing his foot on the acceleration pedal instead of his brake.

Prosecuting, Josh Scouller said Mrs Green had been pulled out of the car onto the side of the road, following a smell of smoke. Despite the best efforts of members of the public and paramedics on scene, she died as a result of her injuries. Unaware of his wife’s passing, the court heard that Mr Green became trapped in the driver area of the car and was later cut out by the fire service, before he and his daughter were taken to the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff. Mr Green sustained serious injuries including a fractured hip, which saw him needing a full hip replacement. Ms Green also sustained injuries including a serious wrist fracture.

During the incident the family’s dog escaped and ran across the dual carriageway. Although the dog was later found well, she is now traumatised by cars.

Reading out a victim impact statement from Ms Green, Mr Scouller said: “September 29 is a day I never want to revisit. It was a real-life horror story that will always be with me. It changed my life forever.”

Next, Mr Scouller read the victim impact statement of Mr Green. He told the court: “My loving wife of 53 years has been cruelly taken away from me in a few seconds... No-one had told me that my wife had died on the side of the road.

“The thought of the love of my life lying dead on the road I will never get over it. I think of ways I could have avoided the crash: there was no way I could have.”

Ian Bridge, for Ing, passed on the defendant’s apology to the Green family. Mr Bridge told the court that Ing had no previous convictions and was a respected and advanced driver, who made the “mistake” of pressing the acceleration pedal instead of the brake. He described it as a “phenomenon that is not unusual”.

Concluding, Judge Crowther said: “You are 79 and you have never been in trouble before. You have good character.”

Judge Crowther sentenced Ing to two years in prison, suspended for two years for count one: causing death by dangerous driving. For counts two and three – causing serious injury by dangerous driving – she sentenced him to 15 months each suspended for two years. She said each sentence will run at the same time.

She offered her “deepest condolences” to the Green family.