Kieran Dix was struck when Viral Parekh failed to give way at the Ipley Crossroads in Hampshire in clear and dry conditions, and passed away from his injuries a little over two months later.
Parekh admitted causing death by careless driving but the CPS pursued the original charge of causing death by dangerous driving.
At the trial, it was established from a black box type device in Parekh’s car that he approached the crossroads at 37mph (the speed limit is 40mph) but did not slow down, despite originally claiming that he had approached at 20 to 25mph and slowed to 15mph. Parekh was approaching from the west, Dix from the north. Parekh came to a halt 90m from the collision point (roughly three times the stopping distance at 37mph) while Dix was thrown 9m by the impact.
The jury found Parekh not guilty of causing death by dangerous driving, and for the lesser offence he was sentenced to a suspended prison sentence of eight months, 250 hours’ unpaid work, and a three year driving ban with an extended retest.
Ipley Cross is a notorious junction and Dix was not the first to be killed there. The matter is discussed in detail in Collision Course.