How family’s proudest day turned into tragedy
Woman left with horror injuries tells why she shook hands with careless driver
AWOMAN suffered life-threatening injuries in a crash as she was on her way home from celebrating her graduation. Charlotte McCarthy and three loved ones were seriously hurt when their Vauxhall Astra collided with a 7.5 tonne Daf Tipper Truck in November last year.
This week the driver, John Gavin, 24, was fined £1,600 after admitting careless driving.
Charlotte, of Haslingden, said the day should have been the proudest of her life but was instead the beginning of a nightmare.
She spent two weeks in a coma and now relies on carers to help her bathe and wash her hair.
Her partner Jak Metcalfe still faces surgery, while her parents Suzanne, a teaching assistant, and Tony have both been left with severe injuries following the crash.
CHARLOTTE McCarthy has explained why she shook hands with the other driver at court in a bid to gain some closure from her family’s ordeal.
The court heard that a Vauxhall Astra driven by Charlotte’s mum Suzanne, collided with a 7.5 ton Daf Tipper Truck on Grane Road on November 29, 2018.
John Gavin, 24, was not licensed to drive the truck and already had 12 points on his car licence. He was fined £1,600 after admitting careless driving.
Judge Andrew Woolman, sentencing, said: “This is indeed a tragic case. You (Gavin) should not have been driving that lorry on a road at all.”
Gavin, of Moorfield Drive, Ribbleton, was arrested at the scene and admitted he should not have been driving the truck without a licence.
He said he was returning a wrong delivery to his company’s suppliers to ensure the workers had the right materials to set to work the following day.
He had previously driven the truck around the compound, but had only driven it on the road for the first time that day.
He was initially charged with causing serious injury by dangerous driving but pleaded guilty to a lesser count of careless driving and driving other than in accordance with a licence.
Before the Preston Crown Court sentencing, he met with Charlotte and Jak to express his remorse and apologies for what had happened.
Speaking after the hearing, Charlotte said: “This wasn’t about forgiveness or for us to get angry. We talked about our injuries, he had tears in his eyes. There were five of us in that crash 12 months ago, him included. I shook his hand because after all of the above and facing court; I have run out of strength and need some peace.”
At the hearing Judge Woolman told Gavin:
“You are fortunate that Charlotte has been so kind to you in agreeing to that meeting. That is the best thing, if at all possible, to bring closure to them and maybe to you.” The judge said he was not sentencing on the basis of the injuries but of the nature of Gavin’s driving on the day of the collision.
He said: “There is no evidence in the end that the fact you should not have been driving it actually made any difference to what happened or not.”
He fined Gavin £950 for careless driving, £666 for driving without a licence, and ordered him to pay a surcharge to the court. Gavin was also banned for nine months.