Ex-QPR footballler Keith Sanderson died after A590 crash

Keith Sanderson, 82, drove his car, travelling over 70mph, into a parked car in a layby on the A590 between Brettargh Holt roundabout and Junction 36 of the M6 on December 16, 2022. He died in Royal Preston on December 24 from pneumonia caused by multiple rib fractures sustained in the crash. Mr Sanderson, originally from Hull but living in the Preston area, was travelling alone, as was the driver of the parked car, Keiron Stanhope.

Despite both cars being write-offs both drivers seemingly escaped without serious injury, and were ‘walking and talking without problems’, according to PC Craig, who attended the scene. PC Craig said the attendant officers arranged for a taxi to pick Mr Sanderson up and advised him to visit accident and emergency but he ‘just wanted to go home’. He said while waiting for the taxi, Mr Sanderson complained of chest pain consistent with seatbelt injuries.

PC Craig said he did not appear to be in severe pain and was talking about his life as a professional footballer, when he was part of the then-Third Division Queens Park Rangers team that won the League Cup in front of nearly 100,000 people at Wembley in 1967. Off-duty police officer Charlotte Brown, who witnessed the crash, submitted a statement to the Coroner’s Court in Cockermouth. She said she was travelling at around 70mph on the stretch of road, when she saw a silver car, driven by Mr Sanderson, pass her on her left, travelling in the layby – at the same time noticing a black car parked in the layby ahead of the travelling vehicle.

Ms Brown said it seemed the driver thought they were travelling in a ‘live lane’ as she saw no brake lights but heard a ‘loud bang’. She noted the time as 3.13pm, and that it was daylight, with good visibility. Mr Sanderson had been admitted to Royal Lancaster Infirmary on December 13, three days before the crash, due to concerns over him appearing confused and behaving ‘erratically’, but was given a physical all-clear, and advised not to drive, according to a statement submitted by Dr Paula Nenn.

Dr Nenn said she suggested to Mr Sanderson’s nephew, Paul McDonnell, that his issues could be caused by depression, relating to the loss of his beloved wife Monica. Mr McDonnell submitted a statement to the court that Mr Sanderson was a ‘fit and active man’, who ‘never knew how special he was’, but became a ‘lost and lonely soul’ after the death of his wife, who he had been a carer for after she developed Alzheimer’s disease. On December 17, Mr Sanderson called 999 complaining of chest pain, and made his own way to Royal Preston Hospital.

He was examined by nurse Sarah Blunt who said in a statement that Mr Sanderson’s physical observations were ‘normal’ and he appeared ‘alert and coherent’. She triaged Mr Sanderson into Urgent Care, where he was given a further examination by Dr Arif Sadu around one hour and 45 minutes later. Dr Dasu was questioned in court by Area Coroner for Cumbria Kirsty Gomersal, stating that he didn’t see Mr Sanderson’s central chest pain as ‘a cause for concern’ as he did not seem in ‘obvious distress’.

Dr Dasu said hospital guidance said a chest x-ray was only required if a patient showed signs of fracture and Mr Sanderson showed ‘no deformity’ and no swelling, or breathing abnormality. Diagnosing a soft tissue injury, Dr Dasu discharged Mr Sanderson, advising him to take paracetamol and call 999 if his symptoms worsened. Ms Gomersal asked: “What explanation is there of Keith displaying no symptoms of a serious chest injury, but having one?”

Dr Dasu replied: “I do not know the answer to your question.” On December 19 paramedics attended Mr Sanderson’s home, finding him on his bedroom floor, pale, with shortness of breath, wheezing, and a sharp pain under his right rib area. On admission to hospital, a CT scan was performed, which showed multiple rib fractures, and bleeding into the lung.

Mr Sanderson was admitted to critical care, placed on high-flow oxygen, and given pain-killing morphine. Consultants at Royal Preston Hospital suspected and kidney failure, and despite intervention, Mr Sanderson’s condition deteriorated over the next two days. After discussions with his family about Mr Sanderson’s poor prognosis, the decision was taken to place him on end-of-life care, and he died on Christmas Eve.

An investigation by GTD Healthcare, which runs the Urgent Care centre at Royal Preston Hospital, conducted a review into Mr Sanderson’s assessment on December 17. It said that the head of nursing will complete a review into the triage system, and that observations should be taken every 60 minutes, and a chest x-ray ‘could’ have been performed. Ms Gomersal concluded that while it was possible that a further fall could have exacerbated Mr Sanderson’s fractures, evidence only shows that Mr Sanderson was sustained a chest injury so his death was more likely than not a direct result of injuries sustained in the crash.

She said: “He was clearly a very special man and beloved by you all.”

Mr McDonnell paid tribute to his uncle, calling him a ‘very independent man’, and once cycled to Lord’s to watch a test match.

He said he donated to several charities, and was ‘very well-travelled’, an avid reader, and fluent Dutch speaker, and was proud of his remarkable achievements in professional football.