Strong sun is blamed for woman’s death in accident

Strong sun is blamed for woman’s death in accident

9 May 2012

A DRUMANESS motorist has claimed she was temporarily blinded by sunlight when she knocked down a disabled woman who later died.

Natasha Hanna (21) said she did not see Mrs. Rosemary Cunningham on her motability scooter at a pedestrian crossing at Down Retail Park in Downpatrick on Saturday, December 4, 2010.

Miss Hanna, of Linnhurst Park, denied causing death by driving without due care and attention when she appeared at Downpatrick District Court last Friday. Members of Mrs. Cunningham’s family were also in the court.

The fatal accident occurred as Miss Hanna was driving out of the Ballydugan Road shopping complex. With her in the car were her young son and a friend, Tara Boyd.

Miss Hanna said she was travelling at approximately 15mph and had pulled down the windscreen visor because of the “burning sun” which was in her eyes.

She said that moments before the accident she was “completely blinded” by the sun. She said she took her foot off the accelerator and braked.

“The next thing I knew the car had stalled,” she explained. “I did not feel any impact. I put the brake on and got out of the car. There was a woman lying on the ground.”

Miss Hanna said she asked Mrs. Cunningham if she was all right. Mrs. Cunningham replied that she needed help to get up off the ground. Miss Hanna said she could not lift her and that she got her friend to telephone for an ambulance.

The court was told Mrs. Cunningham was three quarters of the way across the crossing when the accident occurred.

An eyewitness said Mrs. Cunningham was thrown off her four-wheel scooter by the impact. The eyewitness thought the scooter was going to topple over, but it righted itself.

In cross-examination, a prosecution lawyer suggested Miss Hanna could not

have been sure of what speed she was travelling at.

The lawyer said the accident occurred because Miss Lindsay had driven over a pedestrian crossing without being able to see.

“This was a Saturday afternoon before Christmas in a shopping centre,” the lawyer told Miss Hanna.

“There were lots of pedestrians, children and people with shopping trolleys. There were a lot of potential hazards. As soon as you could not see, you should have stopped.”

Deputy District Judge Gerry Trainor deferred judgement on the case to Friday, May 11, and expressed his sympathy to Mrs. Cunningham’s family.