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Driver cleared of triple death

13th July 1973, Page 25
13th July 1973
Page 25
Page 25, 13th July 1973 — Driver cleared of triple death
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• A Blackburn lorry driver was cleared at Leeds Crown Court of causing the death by dangerous driving of three people at Bailiss Bridge, Brighouse, Yorks, last year.

Presiding at the two-day trial, Judge Hartley directed the jury to return a verdict of not guilty against driver Francis William Callinan, 30, of Infirmary Street, Blackburn, Lancs. Prosecuting, Mr B. Walsh alleged that Mr Callinan had on the day the accident happened driven his vehicle down a steep hill on its brakes, instead of engaging a low gear, with the result that the brakes overheated and failed, causing the death of the three people, two men and a woman.

The driver had been in a lorry laden with roof tiles. When the brakes failed, the vehicle ran out of control down a steep hill, through a set of red traffic lights, collided with a minivan and crashed through a traffic island, after which it struck another car and then smashed into the front of a grocer's premises.

In his evidence Mr Callinan said he had driven down the same hill on a number of occasions. When the accident took place he had reached the top of the hill, changed into second gear and had checked his brakes. However, at one point in his descent he applied the footbrake and found there was no response.

On directing the jury to return a verdict of not guilty, Judge Hartley said that they could not say beyond reasonable doubt that Mr Callinan had driven dangerously.


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