Elderly Driver Killed

A car crash in which an elderly driver was killed was caused by human error on the part of the motorist, an inquest has heard.

Retired farmer Edward Hosken, 78, died when his Peugeot 309 collided with a prison van in North Cornwall on August 29 last year.

Lesley Ford, 48, the driver of the van, told the hearing she had been travelling east along the A30 between Bolventor and Five Lanes at no more than 55mph when she saw Mr Hosken's blue Peugeot 309 travelling very slowly in the inside lane.

After switching lanes to avoid the car, Mrs Ford said Mr Hosken's vehicle had shot out in front of her, causing the crash.

She said: "He seemed to be just parked there - not moving. He didn't look at me. I pulled into the outside lane to avoid him but then suddenly he shot across into the outside lane and into my path. I hit him on the driver's side."

The prisoner she had been transporting at the time suffered a broken nose in the collision.

Paul Hutchings, crash scene investigator for Devon and Cornwall Police, told Mrs Ford: "It is clear that no blame could be attached to you."

Copyright © Press Association 2010

Jo Darlington at law firm Irwin Mitchell said: "This tragic case shows the consequences of a lapse in concentration by Mr Hosken. It is a lesson to all motorists to check their mirrors when changing lanes & to maintain good lane discipline."