Man found not guilty of careless driving which led to crash which killed Peterborough woman

A man who was accused of causing the death of a Peterborough woman following a crash on a Fenland road has been cleared at court.

Elizabeth Telford (66) from Wainwright, Werrington, died at the scene of the crash on the B1167 New Cut at Thorney on December 12 2021, after the Citroen she was driving was in a collision with the Nissan driven by Robin Crabb.

Mr Crabb himself was seriously injured in the collision, sufferening a punctured lung and a number of facial injuries, with his car ending on its side, and spent a number of days in hospital.

Mr Crabb (39) of Market Court, Long Sutton, was charged with causing the death of Ms Telford by careless driving, and appeared at Peterborough Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday (May 16), for his trial.

He was found not guilty of the single charge he faced after District Judge Ken Sheraton said he could not be sure Mr Crabb’s driving fell below the standard of a competent driver.

Micaila Williams, prosecuting, told the court it was alleged that Mr Crabb was driving too fast for the road conditions – although Ms Williams said there was no evidence he had been travelling faster than the 50mph limit – and he had lost control after he hit a bump in the road.

The court heard from Joseph Gray, who was a passenger in Mr Crabb’s car at the time of the crash.

He told the court he had seen a bump in the road, and when the car travelled over it, he felt his ‘stomach drop.’

However, he also said he did not believe work colleague Mr Crabb had been driving too fast.

Mr Gray escaped from the collision with no serious injuries.

Collision investigator PC Ian Masters told the court there was a bump in the road 60 metres from where collision occurred.

He said there were ‘recent’ gouge marks on the bump, where cars had ‘bottomed out’ scraping the underside of the car on the bump, but it was impossible to say if Mr Crabb’s Nissan was one of them.

He said if a car had travelled at an inappropriate speed over the bump, it could cause the suspension to become overloaded, possibly leading to the driver losing control.

However, he also said it was possible a driver driving competentently to be surprised by how much a car lifted up after hitting a bump, which could lead to them over correcting.

Matthew Gowen, defending, said this conclusion meant that it would be impossible to convict Mr Crabb.

Mr Crabb said he could not recall the incident, as a result of the injuries suffered.

The court also heard there were no defects on either car found.

Following the crash, Ms Telford’s family released a statement saying: “We are deeply saddened by Elizabeth’s untimely passing, she will be sorely missed.

“She was a caring daughter, partner and sister and a helpful and considerate friend.”