THE mother of a 23-year-old motorcyclist “left to die on the road” after an alleged hit-and-run accident told of the family's continued anguish as they await a trial date.
Helen Wood's son Paul was on his way to work as a hospital chef on the morning of May 24, last year when it’s claimed his bike was struck by a Range Rover.
Police and paramedics attended but Paul was pronounced dead at the scene.
A 51-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of causing death by careless or inconsiderate driving, failing to stop at the scene of a collision, causing death while disqualified, and causing death while uninsured.
He has pleaded not guilty to all charges and is awaiting trial after a hearing date set for April was delayed due to the pandemic.
The accident happened on the A505 in Cambridgeshire, where the family now live after moving from Cumbernauld in North Lanarkshire around 20 years ago, where Helen is originally from.
READ MORE: Scotland's most dangerous roads named
The maximum penalty for leaving a driving accident involving a death across the UK is points and a six-month sentence but this is reduced if a driver reports an incident within 24 hours.
Mrs Woods said: “Paul had left for work that day between half past six and quarter to seven. He only got 10 minutes up the road. The police say the car drove on and he was left to die on the road. He was pronounced dead 20 minutes later.
“I was with his sister Stephanie, at the hospital. She is profoundly deaf and we had gone to the hospital for tests.
"The police told my partner to call me immediately in case I found out on social media.
“It has destroyed me, absolutely and the whole family. He was a lovely boy, everyone loved him.
"“My oldest daughter Stephanie is Down Syndrome so it’s affected her really badly. She doesn’t understand, she just knows he’s not coming back."
By terrible coincidence, on August 29, 2018, a close schoolfriend of Paul’s, Matt Smyth, was killed on his motorbike in a hit-and-run incident.
READ MORE: Drug driving linked to hundreds of road accidents on Scotland's roads
The driver Ricardas Taraska was charged with causing death by careless driving, failing to stop after a collision and failing to report a collision to police. He was sentenced to 14 months’ imprisonment and given a 31-month driving ban.
The UK government is to introduce a life sentence for those who cause death by dangerous driving or kill while under the influence of drink or drugs. The current maximum sentence is 14 years.
Louise Smyth, Matt’s mother, has launched a petition calling for an increase to the maximum six-month sentence for failing to stop in the event of a death in a road accident.
Helen and Matt’s mother Louise have been supporting each other and speak most days on the phone. She spent the first anniversary of Paul’s death at his graveside and at the spot where he died.
She said: “She’s [Louise] has been a Godsend. When I’m having my down days she’s there and vice versa. Every day families are being destroyed by this.”
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