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Teenager's Unavoidable Death: Driver's Plea
3 Sep
Summary
- Teenager died after being hit by a car on a rural road.
- Driver admitted to driving while unfit through drink.
- Collision data showed victim was lying in the road.
A fatal collision that resulted in the death of 19-year-old Bailey Chadwick on the B6265 near Pateley Bridge has been described as unavoidable by a court. The incident occurred in the early hours of July 20 last year. Joseph Henry Stott, 25, pleaded guilty to driving while unfit through drink on the first day of his trial at Harrogate Magistrates' Court.
Further charges against Stott were dropped after collision data revealed Chadwick had been lying in the road playing music on his phone. The prosecution stated that even a careful driver, not under the influence, would have hit Chadwick due to his position on the dark rural road. It remains unexplained why Chadwick was in the road, but he sustained fatal injuries upon being struck by Stott's vehicle.
However, Stott was captured on CCTV consuming alcohol in Leeds bars prior to the incident. He left Leeds by car around 02:15 BST and encountered Chadwick approximately 45 minutes later, at 02:57 BST. Stott had also previously admitted to driving without insurance.
