Tractor driver admits causing West Norfolk village crash death tragedy

A court has heard how a father-of-six was killed when a tractor collided with the car in which he was a passenger.

Ben Johnson died at the scene of the incident in Wisbech Road, Outwell on October 10, 2019, when an agricultural attachment on the front of the tractor ripped the roof off the Vauxhall Astra.

Tractor driver John Harrison, 52, was emerging from a gateway to his property when the the car collided with the front press attachment, which extended forwards about 1.5m.

At King’s Lynn Magistrates’ Court today (Thursday), Harrison, of Wisbech Road, Outwell, pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving.

Sentencing him to 200 hours’ unpaid work and a driving disqualification for 12 months, presiding magistrate John Hare said the bench had taken into account the defendant having no previous convictions, his clean driving licence and remorse.

“A prison sentence would serve no merit,” he added.

Stacie Cossey, prosecuting, said the collision happened just after 9am.

Mr Johnson was a front-seat passenger in the car being driven by family friend Emma Donger, whose 15-month-old son was in the back.

Miss Cossey said: “The nearside of the Astra collided with the front press. This resulted in the roof being torn off and, sadly, Ben Johnson was killed.”

She said a hedgerow was a part of visibility problems. Harrison used a mirror to view the road and he thought it was clear.

She said a police reconstruction estimated visibility to be 16 metres and a vehicle travelling at 60mph would have about one second to the point of impact.

Harrison told police in interview that the Astra must have been travelling at high speed.

Miss Cossey said: “He said he was still inching forwards and the front press was halfway between the verge and the centre line.

“He said he was heartbroken but did not feel he was careless.

“He felt the only thing he could have done differently was to use a banksman.”

Naomi North, mitigating, said her client disputed the distance of visibility and an expert report was close to being available. She confirmed that Harrison had cut

down the hedgerow soon after the incident.

Miss North said her client and his wife, who is a nurse and attended the scene, had both been badly affected by what happened.

She added: “It’s a tragic case and many lives have been destroyed by this. Mr Harrison’s concerns have been for the families involved.”

In a statement made last month, Mr Johnson’s fiancée Ashleigh Tooley said he was an “amazing” dad and the day of the crash would stay with her forever.

She added: “I know that the gentleman did not set out to cause harm and there is no greater punishment for him than what he will be going through. I wish him no malice.”

Miss Donger said in a statement that the collision had had a profound effect on her and her son.

She said Mr Johnson had been helping her to pass her driving test – something she managed to achieve five months after the crash.

“I can no longer drive by where the accident happened,” she added.

Harrison was also ordered to pay £230 in costs and a victim surcharge.