Mercedes driven through classroom wall when mum 'suffered seizure before crash'

Daily Record

a day ago

Joanna Murray previously pleaded guilty to a charge of dangerous driving but not guilty to failure to provide a specimen for analysis.‌
A mum who drove her Mercedes through a classroom wall told how she suffered a seizure in the run-up to the crash.
Joanna Murray smashed the car into a wall at The Beacon Church of England Primary School on Heyworth Street in Everton during a school run on April 22 last year.
The 41-year-old appeared in Sefton Magistrates' Court on Tuesday.
It heard how she previously pleaded guilty to a charge of dangerous driving and pleaded not guilty to failure to provide a specimen for analysis.‌
In a statement read to the court, on behalf of Murray by her solicitor Richard Oldroyd, she said she failed to notify the DVLA of any medical conditions and had not suffered a seizure in two years.
As Murray wept in the dock while wearing a black suit and white shirt, District Judge Paul Healey said the crash caused "catastrophic damage" to the school, although no one was injured in the crash.
As part of the basis of her guilty plea, Murray said she did not remember the crash but later found out she had suffered a seizure while driving.
Our sister title, the Liverpool Echo, reports the crash happened at 8.30am on the Monday. A parent told how the crash happened just 10 minutes before the school was due to open.
In a clip of the incident, a person can be seen walking through the scene, where a gaping hole can be seen in the side of the building. Rubble and debris can also be seen strewn all over the floor of the room where toys and desks once sat neatly.
The footage shows a toy kitchen and child-sized bookshelves flipped over. The white car was in front of a door, with anything that was in its path crushed to the front of it.
Originally scheduled for trial, the case was adjourned after a key witness was unable to attend court.
A new date has been set for December 9, 2025, at Sefton Magistrates' Court. Murray was granted unconditional bail.
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