Langho crash: Man, 81, with poor eyesight jailed for fatal crash

An 81-year-old man who was told by doctors not to drive because his eyesight was so bad has been jailed for knocking down and killing a pedestrian.

Neil Pemberton was driving on the A666 at Langho when he hit 80-year-old Peter Westwell on 17 March 2022.

Lancashire Police said Pemberton could only read a registration plate at a distance of 8ft (2.5m) when the legal requirement was 66ft (20m).

He was jailed for two years and eight months at Preston Crown Court.

Mr Westwell, from Billington, was crossing the road at the junction with Whalley Road when he was hit by Pemberton's Honda Jazz.

Mr Westwell's daughter said her father had also been told by a doctor to stop driving and he had listened and that was why he was out walking that day.

He suffered catastrophic injuries and died at the scene.

Pemberton, of Blackburn, who admitted causing death by dangerous driving, was travelling at 48mph in a 30mph zone at the time of the collision, the force said.

Judge Simon Medland KC said Pemberton knew he was suffering from extremely poor eyesight and was told back in 2013 not to drive.

When he took a test in 2016, he had no vision in his right eye and very poor vision in his left eye.

He had been warned twice and it was obvious that he was not fit to drive, Judge Medland said.

The judge said Pemberton selfishly prioritised his own convenience by continuing to drive and was repeatedly dishonest when he reapplied for his licence and indicated to the DVLA there was nothing wrong with his eyesight.

Hazel Westwell thanked the people who stopped and tried to help her father.

"It means I know he wasn't on his own. They were all so kind," she said.

"Dad was walking that day because he had been told by his doctor and his family that he needed to stop driving so he did."

She urged people to take personal responsibility when it comes to their own health and driving, and to have "that difficult conversation" should they have any concerns about a family member continuing to drive.

"My dad was an active, fit, kind, loving family man," she added. "He fought and worked hard to stay independent and for him to die as a result of someone else's selfish actions is almost impossible for us to bear."

Det Sgt Helen Parkinson said: "Drivers have a personal responsibility to make sure our roads are as safe as possible and making sure your eyesight meets the standards of vision for driving is an important part of that, just like checking your car is in a fit state to drive.

"Tragically, Neil Pemberton's failure to meet that personal responsibility had all too obvious catastrophic consequences."

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