Heartbroken family say they want justice three years on from A16 crash which killed much-loved mum
A grieving family are still looking for answers three years after their mum died in a crash[1] on the A16. Karen Fenton was a passenger in a Mitsubishi being driven by husband, Paul, when the tragic incident occurred on the evening of January 21, 2020.
The fatal crash involved the Fentons’ Mitsubishi, a tractor and a van. Karen sadly died as a result of the crash and Paul sustained serious injuries which he still struggles with today.
Three years on, Karen’s family say they are desperate for answers so they can attempt to move on from the horrific situation. No-one has ever been convicted of any wrongdoing in relation to the crash.
At the time of the crash, Paul and Karen lived in Sutterton with their daughter Emelie, while son Tom still lives in Stevenage. However, Paul now lives on his own as Emelie, who has learning disabilities, struggled to cope with Karen’s death and moved into supported accommodation. Tom said it was like his sister’s “whole world crumbled underneath her” when she was told of her mum’s death.
Paul and Karen were on their way home from shopping when the incident took place. The tractor driver was charged with causing death by dangerous driving as well as causing serious injury by dangerous driving to Paul and the van driver in the same incident. He pleaded not guilty to all three charges and the case was sent to Lincoln Crown Court with a trial date set for May 2022.
The family turned up to court only to be told that their barrister had coronavirus and couldn’t make it. They say that they were then given a new barrister when they were called in to reorganise the trial. Tom said: “It wasn’t very nice as this person was meant to be representing us and we had no idea about it.”
After the trial, which eventually took place in April this year, the tractor driver was found not guilty. Paul and his son Tom say they are not happy with the way the trial was handled by the Crown Prosecution Service and are still seeking justice for Karen’s death.
Tom said: “We’ve been living through this for three years and it’s held us back in our lives.
“It’s a tough pill to swallow. It just doesn’t sit right”.
Paul now only works two days a week due to both the physical injuries sustained from the crash and the mental effect the incident has had on him. He said: “Losing your wife is a terrible thing and I think, because of covid and not being able to see family, it doubled the emotion that you’d normally have. That’s what was the hardest thing.
“And then last year we thought ‘at least the trial is going ahead’. We were sat in our suits ready only for it to be cancelled and postponed until 2023. It’s like everything that could go wrong, has gone wrong.”
A spokesperson for the Crown Prosecution Service said: “First and foremost our sympathies are with the Fenton family for the tragic loss of a much-loved wife and mother. It is not the role of the CPS to establish whether someone is guilty of an offence, but to make measured assessments, independently of the police, to determine whether it is appropriate to present charges for a criminal court to consider.
“The jury has considered the charges against [the tractor driver] and we respect their [not guilty] verdict.”
References
- ^ crash (www.lincolnshirelive.co.uk)
- ^ Mum-of-four’s ‘nightmare’ as Lincoln house destroyed by fire just weeks after giving birth (www.lincolnshirelive.co.uk)