The family of a motorcyclist who was killed in a collision caused by a driver on a phone call has thanked the members of the public who tried to save him.
John Aves, 42, suffered fatal injuries on the night of Wednesday December 11 2019 as he travelled on the A46 near Flintham.
Mr Aves was hit from behind by a car and knocked to the ground. Its driver, 40-year-old Natasha Labidi, was found to have been engaged in a hands-free telephone call at the time and was last month found guilty of causing death by careless driving.
After seeing Mr Aves at the last second she swerved to the outside lane but was unable to avoid a collision that sent the victim tumbling into the carriageway. Police believe he may have then been hit by another car.
He was given first aid at the scene but died around two hours later in hospital.
Appearing at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court today (Wednesday) Labidi, of Anson Road, Newton, was sentenced to a 12 month community order with 150 hours of unpaid work in the community. She was also disqualified from driving for 12 months and ordered to pay costs of £1,200.
In a statement released ahead of today’s sentencing Mr Aves’ family paid tribute to a loving son and brother. They said: “John was the youngest of three sons and losing him has left a part of all our hearts missing forever. He meant the world to us all, and that can never be replaced. We think about him every day and miss him so much.
“We can only begin to imagine what John went through on that night. We think about this all the time. The pain he must have been in – he must have been so frightened it breaks our hearts every time we think about that frightful night. No one deserves to die in this way, especially not our John.
“It is a horrible nightmare that we now live as you never expect your children to go first, and certainly not in such a horrible way.
“We will never see John get married, nor have children of his own. We cannot help but be angry that someone’s actions have taken this from us. John was at a stage of getting his life together when this happened. He had a good job and a girlfriend and he deserved happiness, but it was all taken from him so soon.
“We think about him all the time. This will not lessen in time, it will be this way forever. The only consolation we take from that awful night is that he was not alone and was surrounded by some lovely people who cared for him to the best of their abilities and going above and beyond – including one individual travelling with him in the ambulance to the hospital. For that we are thankful and will be forever grateful.”
Case Investigator Louise Melbourne, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “Whilst speaking hands free is not in itself against the law, using a phone in this way can have an effect on concentration levels and can distract attention away from the road. It can also lead to prosecution if this is determined to be a significant cause of a collision. I hope that people who read about this tragic case will think about their own mobile phone use and adjust their behaviour accordingly. Making or taking a phone call when driving simply isn’t worth the risk. The consequences, as this case demonstrates, can be devastating for everyone involved.”
Nottinghamshire Police is currently taking part in a national campaign to target drivers who use their mobile phones when driving.
The roads policing enforcement activity which started this week (8 February) runs for a fortnight and sees fines for the offence increase to £200 as well as drivers being given six points on their licence.
