Suspended sentence for driver after other driver died month after collision

Neil Kilding, 54, of Kingsway, Goole admitted causing death by careless driving when he appeared before District Judge Peter Veits, sitting at Boston Magistrates Court.

Prosecuting, Marie Stace said Kilding was driving a Vauxhall Astra on the A158 at Edlington on May 10, 2021.

It was said that at 4.05pm he entered a skid risk area where new gravel had been laid and which had a temporary 20mph speed limit.

Ms Stace said a witness said Kilding appeared to ignore the warning signs and did not reduce his speed, continuing at around 40pmh and was seen to lose control, hit the grass verge and veer across the road and collide with a Vauxhall Corsa, travelling in the opposite direction.

The witness said the driver of the Corsa could have done nothing to avoid the collision.

She said the driver of the Corsa was 83-year-old Mr Philip Mason, who was helped out of his car and on the face of it had no injuries and police attended and treated the collision as non-injury.

Bu Mr Mason went to a friend's later and complained of feeling unwell, but did not have any hospital treatment.

However, Ms Stace said Mr Mason had underlying health conditions which had caused him to bleed more severely internally, and he died on June 7.

In mitigation, it was said Kilding had no previous convictions and was “devastated” by what had happened since what he had believed was a “minor accident”, which he accepted was his fault.

Judge Veits said there was “nothing I can do to turn back the clock on this tragic day”.

Sentencing Kilding to 20 weeks in prison suspended for two years, he said the fact was that he was going 'too fast for the conditions' and that 'loose chippings meant the skid risk was real'.

He said that “maybe if Mr Mason had gone to hospital, things might have been different”, but told Kilding that he did “lose control of his car and that deserved a custodial sentence”.

In addition, he was ordered to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work and pay £213 in court costs and charges.

He was also banned from driving for two years.