The driver in the Wimbledon school accident won't be charged?

[RiverF]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cw4448xx4keo

It sounds like a unavoidable and unforeseeable medical incident led to the tragedy, but the families wanted justice.

I can't begin to imagine their pain, but this is the right decision?

Agree.

There are very significant safety issues around SUV's both for occupants and other road users.

It is very likley that had any other class of vehicle been involved the damage would have been less severe. I certainly cannot imagine my current car managing to mount the pavement at speed let alone go through a wall.

Given that the vast majority never go 'off road' I suggest that with a new Government next week perhaps we need to start talking about restrictions & bans on SUV's.

The other issue is the lack of proper accident investigation, there is a shortage of accident investigators and even if there were sufficent a lot of collisions would still not be properly investigated.

This means that many people dont just not get 'criminal' justice when they are involved in an incident on the roads but civil justice as well as they dont have the evidence to support a compensation claim.

Thanks for linking, I was thinking about this case the other day and wondering what had happened.
My only reservation is if the driver had a top solicitor is this something that they have 'come up with', but I am a cynic.
I assume the police and CPS have thoroughly tested this defence.
I feel so sad for the parents and understand their frustration.

They should ban those monster cars in cities. No one needs one. They don't fit in parking spaces properly and they take up too much space on the roads. If they hit a padestrian they have no chance.

If it was the first time it had happened, and nothing on their medical record, then no they shouldn't be charged. If they were driving against medical advice, then yes absolutely.
Look at the Glasgow bin lorry crash - he lied about his medical history, killed people, but never got jailed.

It did cross my mind that their scepticism might be becuause she's well connected. I don't know who she is though.

I think people are naive if they think the outcome would have been different with another car, if she had a fit, its likely her body went rigid, with the foot pressing consistently down on the accelerator, any car accelerating like that, crashing straight head on into small children is likely to kill them.

Another poster on a thread at the time talked about how this happened to a relative of theirs, they had a fit and pressed harder and harder on the accelerator.

Dear Lord, spare us from the armchair detectives, diagnosing conspiracy in every awkwardly phrased sentence written by a rushed 24yo and delay in an understaffed backed-up justice system.

Judicial processes take time. So does medical investigation. Especially when both systems are understaffed and have years-long backlogs since COVID. There is nothing sinister, unusual, or surprising in how long it took the CPS to decide not to charge.

All parties involved are 'well connected'

I have epilepsy which came on at the grand age of 45, thankfully I was home when it first occurred. Thought I just had a migraine that was making my head swim and didn’t think any more of it till it happened repeatedly over the next week. There was nothing conclusive on MRI or EEG, the neurologist diagnosed focal aware epilepsy through my description of my symptoms. It took several months of taking meds to get on top of it and be seizure free which confirmed it was most likely epilepsy. Potentially the same could have happened to the driver hence the length of time.

such a tragic accident

I think it’s the right decision. It’s a tragedy but the woman had no control suddenly and without warning. I assume the delay has been at least partially for a medical investigation. She’s probably had multiple mris and consulted multiple neurologists paid for by her ( I’m assuming wealth by the car) and also by the state. Then all the evidence would have to be reviewed by cps. It’s really not unusual for an investigation to take a long time.

Id assume it’s not been in the news previously as she/ her family have been instructed not to discuss it.

Can you explain what is off about a tragic but straight forward case. Or is it a feeling you have

As an epileptic who knows that it is very difficult to diagnose epilepsy without seeing someone actually having a seizure, I'm a bit unsure as to how they have concluded she had a seizure.

Maybe she’s had more since?

This. If it happened out of the blue then it’s tragic. If they were driving against medical advice then that would be awful. It needs to be said in the news what the situation is exactly.

It is really sad for all involved. But it could happen again, to any of us and any of our children. Perhaps there should be protected space between car parks and where children stand? We do love with these risks for the sake of the convenience of driving.

It's all straightforward, isn't it? Until it's your own loved one that is killed, and then, of course, it wouldn't be so straightforward.

Road accidents happen all the time, and people ger prosecuted for causing injury and/or death. It's obvious no one ever crashes into another person intentionally. Justice is about the driver-killer taking responsibility.

How do they know she had a seizure? I thought brain scans didn’t show after the event?

It's in the news. They said neurological teams assessed her and confirmed she has an epileptic fit but no prior history

I wonder how they knew she had a seizure - these can normally only be recorded whilst they are happening - after the event there would have been no way anyone could be sure that this had happened as far as I am aware.

They have said! First seizure. Unknown condition.

I read they said she had no prior history. Where have you read the medical evidence showed she had had a seizure ? I just wonder if it’s more than you can’t prove she didn’t.

Agree these cars are ridiculous. So many where I live.

Absolutely zero need for them to drive 1.2 miles to Waitrose, or 0.9 miles to your child's school in london.

It has. She had no medical history to suggest this was a risk.

@Janehasamane where did you read that? EEGs and MRIs don't necessarily pick up epilepsy and it can be very difficult to diagnose in the absence of multiple seizures.

Unless she's gone on to have another seizure, I've no idea how someone can say she had one.

The poor woman must be traumatised enough surely? She HAS a life sentence knowing she killed 2 children.