Elderly driver kills his wife after carrying out illegal U-turn on A56 Accrington Bypass
An elderly driver caused the death of his wife after performing an illegal U-turn on a major A-road in Lancashire.
Thomas Nibbs, 88, was driving his Kia Ceed southbound on the A56 Accrington Bypass when his sat nav instructed him to turn around on June 3, 2023.
Nibbs made the illegal U-turn at the junction with Sandy Lane, colliding with a Volkswagen Golf traveling northbound.
The front seat passenger of the Kia - Nibb’s wife Roseanne, 67 - sustained serious injuries and sadly died in hospital later that day.
The driver and passenger of the Golf suffered only "minor injuries," according to police.
After pleading guilty to causing death by careless driving, Nibbs, of Glenwood Avenue, Shipley, was given an eight-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months.
He was also disqualified from driving for life.
Insp Helen Parkinson, of the Road Policing Unit, said: “Although I appreciate no sentence will compensate the loss of a loved family member, I hope this outcome brings some form of closure for Roseanne’s wider family and my thoughts very much remain with them today.”