The family of a 67-year-old man killed after he was run over in the road has paid tribute to him after the careless driver who caused his death was jailed.
Steven Day, of Sutton Bonington, died from his injuries after being run over by 4×4 driver Karl Twyford in Park Lane, Sutton Bonington, shortly after 10pm on 30 October 2021.
A jury at Nottingham Crown Court heard how Steven had been socialising with friends that day and had been walking home from the King’s Head pub when the fatal collision happened – just minutes away from where he lived.
A witness who was driving along Park Lane shortly before the collision described seeing a man lying down in the road. She said the man appeared to be uninjured and she slowed down and crawled past to avoid hitting him. Shortly after seeing the man in the road, she called an ambulance.
Soon after, Steven was struck by a Ford Ranger driven by Twyford who didn’t take any action to slow down and avoid him, unlike the previous driver who had safely driven past Steven about 30 seconds beforehand.
Following the collision, a group of friends who were travelling along Park Lane sought help.
An off-duty nurse and off-duty police officer were among those who assisted at the scene. Steven was given CPR but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Twyford was found guilty of causing Steven’s death by careless driving following a trial at Nottingham Crown Court last month.
By that stage, he’d already pleaded guilty to a series of separate drug dealing offences across the East Midlands – namely supplying cocaine, possessing with intent to supply cocaine and cannabis, and producing cannabis.
Twyford, now of Kettering, Northamptonshire, returned to Nottingham Crown Court to be sentenced for each of his crimes earlier today (4 June).
He was sentenced to four-and-a-half years behind bars in total.
Twyford was also disqualified from driving for four years and two months, and will have to pass an extended retest before he’s allowed to drive again.
In a statement, Steven’s family said:
“Steven was a happy, kind, and loving man. He was a very loyal friend and would go out of his way to help anyone.
“He loved life, especially walking the dogs, cycling, kayaking, and motorcycling, especially with family and friends. He loved going away in the motorhome and loved walking the cliffs in Cornwall or walking in Scotland.
“Steven loved village life and had many friends here in Sutton Bonington. He was well liked and respected as others will confirm.
“His death has had a major impact for so many people, not just family and friends. It has upset the whole community.
“No-one can ever replace Steven, who was taken away in such cruel circumstances. All he was doing was walking back home from an enjoyable day out with friends. He was taken away from us in a way no normal person can expect and he is sorely missed by everyone.”
Detective Constable Christopher Taylor, of Nottinghamshire Police, said:
“Twyford denied causing Steven’s death and therefore took the case to trial, meaning his family have had to relive the trauma of the collision all over again.
“Twyford could and should have recognised that there was something in the road in front of him but he took no action to avoid a collision, even when there would have been a point where it resembled a person, and he would still have had sufficient distance to avoid colliding with Steven.
“After colliding with him, Twyford continued to think only of himself, accelerating away from the scene and colliding with a car as he drove off. He later handed himself into police.
“Our thoughts remain with Steven’s family and friends at this sad time. I hope the sentence given to Twyford will in some way help his family to find some closure and bring a form of comfort knowing he is now rightly in prison.”
