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Family of crash victims calls for law change
MEMBERS of Jayne Shaw and Stephen Parkhouse's family have spoken for the first time about the court case they hope will help them in some way to overcome their loss – but they believe changes in the law are needed.
Stephen's stepfather Brian Chapman, 56, of Horsforth Avenue, said he and Stephen's mum Julie – his partner of nine years – and the rest of the Parkhouse family have had a traumatic year.
Julie, 36, lost her sister and her son in the crash.
They had been on their way to Rotherham to see Jayne's daughter Kelly, who had a baby three weeks earlier.
With her was her son Jamie, and Stephen. Jamie, 15, survived the accident and he is now living with Brian and Julie.
Brian and Julie say they hope the court case will give all the family some degree of closure, but believe the law needs changing.
Mr Chapman said: "I think the judge was restricted as to what sentence he could give under Home Office guidelines.
"The law as it stands on dangerous driving has a maximum of 14 years. I believe guidelines are sometimes wrong.
"No-one sets out to kill someone, but this man had driven that road more or less daily. Throughout there has never been any reason given why he failed to see, on a clear night, that traffic in front had slowed down.
"He careered into them with cruise control on, but no amount of sentence is going to bring them back.
"I believe sentencing guidelines need to be reviewed."
Like the judge in the case, Mr Chapman was concerned the lorry was on cruise control and the law governing the use of the cruise facility should be looked at, but he was more critical of medical tests taken by lorry drivers.
He said: "We were told Mr Abel had subsequently been diagnoses as having type-two diabetes, but he had a medical check up as drivers do, four weeks before the crash.
"The trouble is it could have been there, or something else, but it would not have been detected because they do not have a blood test. That too could do with looking at."
He said the family had received tremendous support from Cruse Bereavement Care in Bridlington and the Road Safety charity Brake.
Mr Chapman said: "We are having a sponsored walk from Flamborough to a bench dedicated to Stephen on the South Side near to Alderson House overlooking the sea.
"He used to go there a lot. It will be from Flamborough Lighthouse on October 19, a year to the day he and Jayne were killed, and we want to split the money between Cruise and Brake."
The walk, on Sunday October 19 will start at 1.30pm from the lighthouse and should arrive at the bench around the time Jayne and Stephen died.
Anyone wanting to take part can put their name and details on a sponsorship form at the Free Press office in Prospect Street, or turn up on the day.
The couple featured in the BBC1 Motorway Cops programme broadcast on Monday evening which showed footage taken at the crash site.
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Weather for Bridlington
Tuesday 07 February 2012
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