Man died of chest injuries after A47 Acle Straight crash
A coroner opened and adjourned the inquest proceedings at Norfolk Coroner's Court earlier, and a full inquest into Mr Barber's death will be heard at a future date.In May, National Highways reduced the speed limit on the Acle Straight from 60mph (96km/h) to 50mph (80km/h), with plans to install average speed cameras to improve safety on the eight-mile stretch of road.
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BBC News
4 hours ago
- BBC News
Cornwall mum 'could be alive' if older driver rules changed
Claire Eady believes that if the rules for older drivers were different her mum would still be here summer 79-year-old Geraldine Gibson died after pulling out into oncoming traffic near her home in Cornwall."I never thought I would have to say the words 'my mum's been killed in a car crash'," said Mrs Eady, who said regulations for drivers over the age of 70 were "unsafe and inadequate" and needed an the moment there is no upper age limit for driving in the UK, with around 500 licence holders aged between 100 and government said it was committed to improving road safety. Mrs Gibson was trying to cross the A30 at Plusha near Launceston to meet a friend when she pulled into the path of another inquest heard there was nothing the other driver, who suffered minor injuries, could have done to avoid Highways told the hearing the junction had since been altered after other accidents but Mrs Eady, from West Sussex, said older age was "absolutely a factor" in her mother's learned her mother was struggling to manoeuvre beforehand and had a separate Eady said she believed arthritis and an earlier stroke may also have affected her mum's driving."I don't think my mum ever would have thought she needed to stop driving because there were too many things that depended on her being out in a car," she have a legal responsibility to notify the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) of conditions affecting their fitness to drive, but Mrs Eady said this felt insufficient."You can't really rely on the individual to do that... especially if it's their only way of getting out," she said she would like medical professionals to be legally required to notify authorities and for there to be mandatory testing for those over 70. What are the current rules regarding older drivers?Drivers must renew their licence aged 70 and every three years thereafterThere is no upper age limit for driving in the UK, with about 500 licence holders aged between 100 and 108Drivers have a legal responsibility to self-declare medical conditions that could affect driving to the DVLAGuidance by the DVLA states health professionals should inform the agency if a patient cannot or will not, but it is not a legal requirement As the UK population ages, the number of older drivers is also increasing, with licence holders aged 70 and over going up by about 200,000 a year, according to the of Transport statistics show older drivers make up about 14% of all licence holders but account for a quarter of those killed on the roads, and that people aged over 75 and under 25 are at highest risk of being killed or seriously hurt in a Heard from the Older Drivers Forum, which supports motorists to continue driving safely for longer, said the "vast majority of older drivers have a wealth of experience, confidence and tolerance".But he added: "As we age, our relative frailty means that older drivers are often over represented in serious injury collisions, particularly for the age group of 80 and above." Mr Heard said elderly drivers were more likely to crash due to illness or errors in judgement, while accidents involving younger drivers were more likely through speed or taking said he supported mandatory referrals of medical conditions by health professionals and advised concerned family members to encourage mature driver BBC has had exclusive access to a report, which said many people were "unaware" of their legal obligation to inform the DVLA of certain medical conditions and health professionals were "reluctant to" do research, prepared for a coroner in April, showed less than 10% of DVLA notifications were made by medical professionals and other third parties. The report's author, Dr Carol Hawley, research fellow at the University of Warwick, said the system "does need to change".She said her research suggested there was underreporting of visual and medical conditions "because there are not that many notifications compared to the number of driving licence holders and the number of people that have those conditions".Professor Kamila Hawthorne, chair of the Royal College of GPs, said the college would welcome a more formalised approach "to ensure that any necessary breaches of doctor-patient confidentiality are protected in law and avoid undermining patient trust".The Association of Optometrists and The College of Optometrists said they "strongly support" the introduction of regular mandatory vision checks for all drivers and said the current system was "not fit for purpose". Elsewhere in Cornwall, Hilary Nias said she "feels very strongly" that change is needed, following her sister-in-law's fatal accident."It was a tragic end to a really interesting life," she said, adding family had repeatedly warned her that her driving was Nias, 90, pulled out onto the A39 at Devoran and crashed onto a roundabout when she mistook the accelerator pedal for the died from her injuries five months later. Mrs Nias said her sister-in-law could "only just" see over the dashboard and was having problems with spatial awareness. "That needed testing and assessing... it could possibly have avoided my sister-in-law's ghastly accident - and many others," she Nias applied for her driving licence to be renewed within the three years before her accident and no medical conditions were her inquest Emma Hillson, assistant coroner for Cornwall, wrote to the Department of Transport and the DVLA, highlighting the lack of any "requirement for there to be any form of medical check or assessment to confirm fitness to drive".Mrs Nias said she was "frankly depressed" by the response, which did not suggest any changes to the current system. There is a higher proportion of elderly people in the South West of England than the national average, and some here see driving as a Bodmin, 130 older people meet weekly at the town hall at an Age Concern social group. Some drive to get Reg Harris, 85, said giving up driving would "absolutely crucify" his Trevenna, 88, added: "I wouldn't be able to get anywhere, do anything... I'd just as well sit in the armchair and wait to die."Drivers can refer themselves for an older driving assessment by Driving Mobility at a cost, but referrals from the DVLA, police or NHS are free. The charity said more than 10,000 people aged over 70 in England underwent one in 2024 - 0.2% of drivers of that age. The local road safety partnership Vision Zero South West wants more public awareness as well as tighter said 176 drivers aged over 60 were killed or seriously injured on Cornwall and Devon's road network in Alison Hernandez said: "We want to protect people's lives because it is absolutely devastating when this happens to people and their families."Asked what could be done to support older drivers who felt they had no choice but to carry on because public transport often was not good enough in rural areas, Hernandez said her office was planning to run a campaign "to educate older drivers on how they can be at their best behind the wheel". The government told the BBC the DVLA was analysing findings from recent inquests, and from a 2023 call for evidence on the legislative framework governing driver licensing for people with medical said the DVLA would continue to engage with healthcare professionals and their regulatory bodies to understand if there may be circumstances where they "could be encouraged or supported in notifying DVLA of a patient's medical condition".A Department for Transport spokesperson added: "The NHS recommends adults should have their eyes tested every two years and drivers are legally required to inform the DVLA if they have a condition which affects their ability to drive. "We are committed to improving road safety and continue to explore ways to achieve this."Additional reporting by Lauren Woodhead, England Data Unit
Daily Mail
8 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Museum manager, 66, stole precious artefacts over almost two decades and sold them for more than £50,000, court hears
A museum manager stole precious artefacts for over almost two decades before selling them for more than £50,000, a court has heard. Stephen Harris, 66, former operations manager at Gressenhall Farm and Workhouse in Norfolk, has been accused of stealing several items from the collections by Norfolk Museums Service. The alleged thefts, said to have been revealed following an on-going investigation that took place over several years, are believed to have included prestigious items such as two saucers, ceramics, glass and coins. At Norwich Magistrates' Court, Mr Harris was accused of selling off the precious items at auctions by pretending that they were his own, Eastern Daily Press has reported. While the 'full value' of the alleged thefts are yet to be calculated, Nicole Lamb, prosecuting said that they were believed to be '£52,000 or possibly more'. She revealed that Mr Harris allegedly used his access while working as an employee in order to take the collection items being kept in storage. Some of the items Mr Harris is said to have stolen raised an estimated £15,000 when sold at Bonhams, a prestigious privately-owned international auction house that specialises in items such as fine art, jewelry and antiques. Ms Lamb added that given the significant 'abuse of trust' by Mr Harris, his suspected crimes were too serious to be heard by the magistrates. But Rob New, for the defence, said that Mr Harris 'emphatically denies these allegations'. Mr Harris, from Mattishall, Norfolk, pleaded not guilty to theft by employee between 2005 and 2022 and the concealing, disguising and transferring of money raised from selling stolen antiques. He also denied four counts of fraud by false representation over the dishonest selling of items at Bonhams, Keys auctioneers at Aylsham, alongside Lockdales at Martlesham, near Ipswich. Mr Harris was given unconditional bail ahead of a further hearing at Norwich crown court on August 26. Norfolk Museum Service, which preside over 10 museums across the county such as Norwich Castle Museum, declined to provide any additional details regarding their investigation. A spokesperson told The Telegraph: 'Due to the ongoing legal process, we are not in a position to provide further comment at this time.' Norfolk Museums Service, Gresenhall Farm and Workhouse, Bonhams, Keys auctioneers and Lockdales have all been approached for comment. In the summer of 2023, a British Museum worker was sacked after being accused of stealing priceless treasures that included jewellery, gems and precious metals spanning more than three millennia of history over a number of years. Peter John Higgs was dismissed after items were found to be 'missing, stolen or damaged'. It was later claimed that he was named to bosses more than three years prior - after items such as jewellery from the venerated Townley Collection of Graeco-Roman artefacts allegedly went up for sale on eBay - but kept his job. In March last year, the British Museum launched legal action against Mr Higgs, claiming he stole 1,800 gems and treasures and sold them on eBay over a decade. The world-renowned museum asked the High Court to order eBay and Paypal records be disclosed from Dr Peter Higgs' account, claiming they will contain evidence of the items being sold. It told the court Dr Higgs was selling items for over 10 years to 45 buyers from around the globe using 'false names' and 'manipulating records', the BBC reported. The museum's lawyers claim that the allegedly stolen items came from unregistered collections held in storage. The curator - who denies all the claims against him - is also accused of altering records. Mr Higgs' family have maintained his innocence, with his son Greg previously telling The Times: 'He's not done anything. He's not happy about it at all' But an audit last year found that 80 per cent of the items from the collection were missing from the same storeroom. Daniel Burgess and Warren Fitt Legal on behalf of the museum told the court that a 1993 audit showed 1,449 unregistered items in the storeroom, but another one in 2023 found there were 1,161 missing. Dr Higgs worked in the Greek and Rome department from 1999 until 2023 and was promoted to the 'very senior and prestigious' position of acting keeper in 2021. The curator - who denies all the claims against him - is also accused of altering records. But Mr Higgs' family have maintained his innocence, with his son Greg previously telling The Times: 'He's not done anything. He's not happy about it at all. He's lost his job and his reputation and I don't think it was fair. 'It couldn't have been [him]. I don't think there is even anything missing as far as I'm aware.'
The Independent
11 hours ago
- The Independent
2-year-old killed and 14 others hurt after car plows into Chicago sandwich shop during lunch
A 2-year-old boy was killed and 14 others were injured after a car plowed into an Illinois sandwich shop around lunchtime on Wednesday. Just before 2 p.m., a car crashed through the front of Portillo's restaurant in Oswego, a suburb about 48 miles west of Chicago, in what police say was a 'tragic accident.' 'We understand how difficult and emotional this incident is for everyone involved, to include the families impacted by this tragedy, as well as our community, our officers and the fire department personnel who responded,' Oswego Police Chief Jason Bastin said. Authorities confirmed that a 2-year-old boy who was inside the restaurant died as a result of the crash. His names has not yet been released by authorities. Bastin said of the 14 injured in the crash, eight, including the driver of the vehicle, were taken to nearby hospitals. Six other victims were treated at the scene and released. The driver was a 50-year-old woman and was the sole occupant of her vehicle, ABC 7 Chicago reported. Police said that while their investigation is in its early stages, 'preliminary information suggests this was a tragic accident.' Portillo's is a Chicago-area chain known for its Chicago-style hot dogs and Italian beef sandwiches. Witnesses who were near the fast-food chain at the time of the crash described a chaotic scene. "I saw a gentleman running with what appeared to be a smaller child, and I saw somebody collapse in between two cars, and the dad or whoever the man was with the person started performing CPR," said Damaris Abella, who was at the business next door. 'It's just sort of numbing,' John Buchanan, who lives by the restaurant, said. 'We're gonna go home and hold each other tight.' In a statement, Portillo's said: "We are deeply saddened by the tragic accident involving a car that struck our Oswego restaurant this afternoon, and our thoughts are with those affected by this incident. As we continue to assess this unfolding situation, our primary concern is the safety and well-being of our guests and team members.' 'We are grateful to the emergency responders who arrived quickly onsite, and we are working closely with local authorities to aid their investigation,' the restaurant added. Portillo's will remain closed Thursday, a spokesperson said.
