Family Donate Man’s Organs So Others Can “Treasure Life”

The family of a “bright and inspirational” man from Leeds who died after being knocked down on a pedestrian crossing is urging road users to put safety first after the driver involved in the crash was sentenced.

James Cromack was on a crossing on the Dewsbury Road dual carriageway when he was hit by a car in February last year.  He lost consciousness and sustained serious and fatal injuries.

James, who lived with cerebral palsy, was taken to Leeds General Infirmary.  He died two days later, at the age of 40.

Following the accident, James’s family instructed expert serious injury lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to investigate and help them access the specialist support they require to try and overcome his death.  At a hearing in Leeds last month, the driver of the car, 19-year-old Abdullah Mota, from Batley, pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving.  This week he was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison.

James’s family and their legal team are supporting Injury Prevention Week, a campaign aimed at reducing the number of people killed or injured on Britain’s roads.  It runs from 17 to 21 August.

Expert Opinion

“The past year and a half has been incredibly difficult for James’s loved ones, having to deal with losing him in the sudden and horrible way they did.

Through our work, we often see the devastating consequences of road incidents and sadly come across many families whose lives have been turned upside down because of these. The majority of the incidents are avoidable.

Injury Prevention Week is an important reminder of the need for all road users to show consideration and be careful at all times to help reduce the number of lives destroyed.

While nothing will change what happened or bring James back, his family welcome today’s sentencing and we urge that road users put safety first to ensure no other family has to go through what they have.”
Claire Newstead - Partner

Warehouse worker James, of Morley, was crossing the Dewsbury Road dual carriageway on the evening of 23 February 2019, when he was hit by a Toyota Aygo being driven by Abdullah. 

James was put on life support, but his injuries proved fatal and his family made the heartbreaking decision to switch the machine off.  He passed away on 25 February.

James was single and had been living with a flatmate prior to his death.  He was close to his family and enjoyed sport.  He was a keen supporter of the Leeds Rhinos rugby team, and captained the conservative snooker club in Morley.

After the sentencing, his sister Emily Cromack said: “James wasn’t just my brother, he was also my best friend.  He lived life to the full and didn’t let his cerebral palsy hold him back from doing anything he wanted.

“He was such a bright and inspirational person, and to suddenly lose him has been a pain beyond words for all of us.  Without James, there is a hole in our lives and the world is now a sadder place.

“I know nothing can turn back the clock and stop James from walking on to that crossing that evening, but he would have wanted some hope to come out of this tragedy.  His organs have been donated to try to help others treasure life like he did.

“We are all grateful the hearing is over and welcome the sentencing.  All we can do now is try to move forward with our lives as best we can, and hope that others will learn from our tragedy.  Road safety isn’t something that should be taken lightly, and we don’t want any other family to feel the pain and loss that we have.”

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