A LORRY driver was yesterday accused of failing to see a pedestrian who died beneath the wheels of his articulated truck.
Heather Bauld, 60, was struck in Darlington in November 2009.
Brian Lawton, 53, went on trial at Teesside Crown Court yesterday accused of causing Mrs Bauld’s death by careless driving.
It is alleged that the lorry driver did not see her at the junction of Haughton Road and Eastmount Road.
After the collision, Mr Lawton drove off and was arrested two hours later in Billingham, near Stockton.
The jury heard that he would not have been aware of the accident because of the size of the lorry, and he was not being criticised for not stopping.
But Paul Newcombe, prosecuting, said: “In one phrase, the case is failing to keep a proper lookout.”
He said: “The prosecution say that the deceased could clearly be seen by the defendant on his approach to the junction had he been keeping a proper lookout.”
In his opening remarks, Mr Newcombe said: “The issue in this case is whether the defendant’s driving was careless or not.
“The prosecution say the standard of his driving fell below that of a careful and competent driver because he did not keep a proper lookout.
“If he had seen her, he would not have executed that turn until he was sure she had either crossed safely or stayed where she was.”
The jury was shown photographs and plans of the scene, and watched a film of a reconstruction of the lorry’s approach to the junction.
The jury heard that a bush or shrub close to the scene should not have obstructed the experienced driver’s vision.
Mr Lawton, from Rogerstone, Newport, South Wales, denies the charge.
Before the case began, the jury was warned by Judge Michael Taylor to look at the evidence “coldly and clinically”.
The case continues.
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