Driver claims he ran over drunk woman on the road by mistake

A man who ran over a drunk woman on the road appeared in front of Bournemouth Crown Court on Tuesday, October 20. Ian Catley was driving his Suzuki Alto on January 18, 2019 when he ran over what he thought to have been a bag of rubbish. He had instead run over Jacqueline Bradnick, who was lying on the street after being hit by a vehicle earlier. The defendant denied the charge of causing death by careless driving. He told the court that he did not swerve to avoid hitting what he thought to be a bag of rubbish as the road was wet. The trial continues.

In January last year, at around 11:10 pm, the 71-year-old pensioner got off a bus in Bournemouth. Isabel Delamere, prosecuting attorney, told the court that the elderly woman was drunk and dazed as she walked off the bus. She ended up lying on the street after a vehicle rammed into her. While Bradnick was lying on the street, the car in front of and behind of Catley's car avoided hitting her. The 71-year-old man ran over her instead of swerving.

Firefighter William Dring told the court what he witnessed on the night. He said that he was walking behind the elderly woman on his way back home. After some time, he heard a loud bang and saw her body tossed into the air. A car had struck her and absconded from the scene. Before he could help the woman, a second car, driven by Catley, drove over her.

Dring managed to flag other cars away from Bradnick, preventing her from getting run over again. Catley stopped his vehicle to check on what he had run over, the Daily Mail reported. He told the court that as the road was wet, he was worried about swerving to avoid the pile on the road. After he ran over the woman, he realised something was amiss so he stopped to check.

Bradnick sustained 53 rib fractures, skull fractures and internal injuries. She passed away from her injuries. Tests proved that the woman was highly intoxicated at the time of her death. Catley's breath test proved that he was not driving under the influence. There were no defects with his vehicle and he was driving under the speed limit at the time of the accident.

Catley denies the charge of causing death by careless driving as the trial continues.