Blackpool woman died after crash injury led to cancerous cyst

Sports car driver Caroline Hart was injured when she was hit by a van which failed to stop at a junction in Fleetwood Road, Greenhalgh in July last year.

Graham Tindall, prosecuting, said Mrs Hart suffered numerous injuries including damage to her neck caused by her seat belt.

A cyst developed which became cancerous and resulted in her death, he told the court.

The van driver, Karen Smith, 58, of Raikes Road, Great Eccleston appeared before Magistrates and admitted failing to give breath samples to police. She also admitted driving without insurance.

Patrick Nelligan, defending, said Smith suffered from an illness which might have given officers the impression she had been drinking.

He said this was not the case and claimed that Smith had refused both a roadside breath test and a second test at the police station because she had asthma and was on prescription drugs.

A victims' impact statement provided by the dead woman's family was read to the court and described how Mrs Hart suffered a traumatic change in her life after the crash.

Mr Nelligan added: “Had circumstances surrounding this tragic case been any different my client would have faced different charges today.”

Magistrates concluded that Smith’s refusal to provide a breath sample was deliberate and her standard of driving was poor.

She was handed a 10 week prison term but her sentence was suspended for a year. She was also banned from driving for three years.