Driver cleared of causing accident that left Billingham dad paralysed from chest down

A woman accused of causing a accident which left a man paralysed from the chest down has been found not guilty of driving without due care and attention.

Dad-of-two Roger Farwell, 71, from Billingham, suffered a serious spinal cord injury when a car mounted the pavement of Kingsway, in Billingham, and hit him on November 16, 2013.

Mr Farwell had been attending to his wife, who had fallen down some steps at the side of the road, when the accident happened. Almost a year on he is still in hospital.

Secondary schoolteacher Faye Clarke, 40, was found not guilty of driving without due care and attention at a trial at Teesside Magistrates Court yesterday.

Mrs Clarke, of Scotter Road, Scunthorpe, had been driving a Ford Fiesta on the day of the accident, which collided with a Mini Cooper. The crash sent the Mini veering off the road and into the pedestrians. As well as Mr Farwell’s injuries, a 34-year-old man suffered a fractured arm and a 32-year-old woman suffered a fractured ankle.

Mr Farwell’s daughter, Michelle Noble, 39, of Billingham said: “It’s been very difficult over the past year with dad being in hospital with such a serious injury. It’s a relief that the criminal proceedings are now over.”

Norton-born Mrs Clarke had parked on double yellow lines while she went shopping with her mother, Jean Churchill, using a blue badge because of Mrs Churchill’s mobility issues.

Mrs Clarke said she had edged out slowly and was continually looking both ways between parked cars and tried to turn right.

Giving evidence, she said that instead of performing a three point turn in the road, she drove into a loading bay behind Billingham’s Boyes store, and “edged out”.

However, prosecutor Andrea Milsom alleged in court that Mrs Clarke had been distracted by the crowd of people gathered round Mr Farwell’s injured wife and “drove straight out onto the road”.

Faye Wilson, a nurse from Billingham who was driving the Mini, told the court her car was in the middle of the road, straddling both lanes of traffic, as she was passing parked cars on her left.

Giving evidence, she described seeing the Ford Fiesta pull out “at the last minute” and hit her car, which she claimed was travelling at around 20mph.