Taxi Driver Online

Audi driver fatally collided with taxi whilst driving at ‘high speed’ with another Audi, trial hears

https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk ... i-27203009



An Audi driver fatally collided with a taxi whilst driving at ‘high speed’ with another Audi, prosecutors allege.

Krishan Patel, 24, was travelling along Trafford Road, in Ordsall, Salford, in his Audi A3 when he collided with a Renault Megane in September 2020. The driver of the Renault Megane, William Welsh, sustained multiple injuries and sadly died two days later.

Mr Patel, of Preston, denies causing death by dangerous driving and is on trial at Manchester Crown Court.

Opening the case for the prosecution, Brian Berlyne said that just after 9am on September 10 2020, Mr Welsh was driving his taxi along Trafford Road heading north, and had no passengers at the time. The weather was fine and the road surface was dry, he said.

As he was travelling along Trafford Road, which is a dual carriageway and governed by a 30mph speed limit, he moved into a filter lane with the intention of turning right into Phoebe Street, jurors heard.

“As Mr Welsh began to approach the junction, danger was approaching from the opposite direction,” Mr Berlyne continued.

“Two Audis were driving along Trafford Road at speed. The first vehicle was driven by Daniel Hawkins.

“The Audi behind Mr Hawkins was being driven by Mr Patel. There is no evidence that Mr Patel knew Mr Hawkins or communicated with him. He was simply driving an Audi at high speed, and the other Audi also happened to be driving at high speed.”

Jurors were told that the trial does not relate to charges against Mr Hawkins, though there was evidence that Mr Hawkins’ vehicle was being driven faster than Mr Patel.

Mr Hawkins was driving his vehicle at ‘high speed’ towards the junction with Phoebe Street, and as he approached, another car, which was not Mr Welsh, began to turn right from Trafford Road, the court heard.

Mr Hawkins appeared to brake and narrowly avoided collision with that car before driving off, the prosecutor said.

Mr Patel, who was allegedly driving at high speed behind Mr Hawkins, ‘would have been able to catch a brief glimpse’ of the near miss, and continued to drive at high speed.

“As he approached that junction, Mr Welsh appeared in the opposite direction to make a right turn onto Phoebe Street. Mr Welsh began to make that right turn and (Patel) was driving so fast he was unable to stop on time, Mr Patel collided with Mr Welsh’s vehicle,” Mr Berlyne said.

The force of the collision caused Mr Welsh’s taxi to ‘rotate rapidly’ and he was thrown from the car and onto the road. Mr Patel, who was initially trapped in his car, was able to get out and remained at the scene, jurors heard.

Mr Welsh sustained multiple injuries and despite the best efforts of medical staff, he died two days later on September 12 2020. His death was caused by the injuries he sustained as a result of the collision and ejection from the vehicle, prosecutors allege.

PC Paul Terry, a forensic collison investigator for Greater Manchester Police (GMP) concluded that Mr Patel was driving at 65mph, which was over twice the speed limit.

The traffic lights were green for Mr Patel, and for Mr Welsh, whilst the lights in the filter lane were not green, the lights were green for those travelling straight ahead. PC Terry concluded that Mr Welsh did not contravene the traffic lights.

“Less than one second before the collision, Mr Patel began to brake, no doubt in a desperate last ditch attempt to avoid a collision,” Mr Berlyne said.

“Paul Terry concluded that Mr Patel’s speed was so fast by then, it was quite impossible to avoid a collision at 65mph, he would have needed 50 metres to bring the car to a halt with emergency braking.

“He was just 30 metres from the collision scene when he began to apply emergency braking.

“If Mr Patel was driving at the speed limit, there would have been no collision, and Mr Welsh would have been able to complete the right turn before Mr Patel arrived.”

There was said to be no mechanical faults with either vehicles, and Mr Welsh seatbelt was fastened but he was sitting on top of it at the time.

In an interview with the police, Mr Patel said he was on his way to the Lowry Centre and was ‘not in a race’. He said he thought the speed limit for the road was 40mph and said he was ‘probably driving at about 40mph’, adding that he thought the other Audi was travelling at 50mph.

The prosecution allege that Mr Patel’s driving ‘fell far below what is expected of a competent and careful driver’. “It was patently obvious that driving at 65mph in that area was dangerous, and that grossly excessive speed caused a collision and caused the death. If he was driving at the speed limit, there would simply be no collision,” Mr Berlyne concluded.

Mr Patel of Stephenson Street, Preston, denies causing death by dangerous driving and a lesser alternative count of causing death by careless driving.

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IDFIMH

The remorseless man who tried to blame beloved dad-of-two for his own death

A speeding Audi driver who caused a taxi driver's death has been slammed for trying to shift the blame onto his victim. Krishan Patel, 24, was doing more than twice the speed limit on Trafford Road, in Ordsall, Salford, when he hit a Renault Megane in 2020.

The Megane's driver, William Welsh, 46, suffered multiple injuries and died two days later. Patel was convicted by a jury of causing death by dangerous driving following a trial at Manchester Crown Court. He has now been jailed for four-and-a-half years.

The court heard Mr Welsh was sitting on top of his fastened seatbelt at the time of the crash - and Patel's lawyer tried to claim that Mr Welsh contributed 'significantly to both the collision and the death'.

But the judge in the case rubbished those claims, telling the defendant: "I wonder, if a child had run into the road, would you have sought to blame them as you blamed Mr Welsh? It is tragic he was not wearing a seatbelt, not that that killed him - it was the collision at speed that killed him."

Prosecuting, Brian Berlyne earlier said that just after 9am on September 10, 2020, Mr Welsh was driving with no passengers along the duel carriageway, which has a 30mph limit.

He moved into a filer lane to turn right onto Phoebe Street. "As Mr Welsh began to approach the junction, danger was approaching from the opposite direction," Mr said added.

As Patel approached the junction, Mr Welsh appeared in the opposite direction, preparing to turn right. "Mr Welsh began to make that right turn and [Patel] was driving so fast he was unable to stop on time. Mr Patel collided with Mr Welsh’s vehicle," Mr Berlyne said.

Mr Welsh was thrown from the car into the road. Patel, who was initially trapped in his car, was able to get out. He stayed at the scene.

PC Paul Terry, a forensic collision investigator, concluded Patel was driving at 65mph - more than twice the speed limit. There were no mechanical faults with either vehicle, he said. Mr Welsh's seatbelt was fastened, but he was sitting on top of it at the time, the court heard.

In a statement read to the court, Mr Welsh's partner Rachel Palmer wrote: "My babe. That's what we called each other.

"Our daughters, Logan and Chloe, were ready to leave home and start a new chapter in their lives. Myself and William were so proud. This meant it was our time to start a chapter we were both looking forward to - growing older with each other.

"William was only 46, and had lots to look forward to. He went to work as normal and as a result of Krishan Patel, he never came home.

"He always said it was a skill to drive 30mph. Idiotic people drive too fast, William paid the price and he never came home."

Daughter Logan said she had 'not been [herself] since the collision'. Daughter Chloe said Mr Welsh was 'the best dad anyone could ask for'. She added: "While he [Patel] can carry on with the rest of his life, showing no remorse and putting us all through this trauma, we can only hope justice will be served for taking our dad away from us."

Mr Welsh's sister Jane Welsh said: "I'm just so thankful that William didn't have any passengers in his car. The only thought that has kept me sane for the last 33 months is that all actions have consequences, and I hope the judicial system does take into account Krishan Patel's inability to accept blame.

"To the world, William was a 46-year-old taxi driver. To his life partner, he is the love of her life and the person she should be growing old with. To their daughters he was their protector, advisor, friend and cash man when they needed a little extra.

"It's devastating that he will not see them grow and experience life, not be able to walk them down the aisle or have children. To our mum and dad, he was their baby brother who helped complete the family.

"To his friends, colleagues and customers, and those in Salford who knew him, he was 'Welshy' - the friendly, cheeky, gentle giant. To the rest of his family, he was simply our world."

Patel has no previous convictions on his record.

Mitigating, David Birrell accepted his client was driving at 'greatly excessive speed', but claimed that because the incident happened during a Covid lockdown, the roads were quieter and the 'risk was reduced'.

"The mitigating factors, in our submission, are that William Walsh did contribute significantly to both the collision and the death," he said. "There was the manoeuvre, and most important, the seatbelt. It is no exaggeration the outcome would have been different.”

In response, Judge Elizabeth Nicholls said: "There wouldn't have needed to be an outcome if the collision hadn't occurred." Mr Birrell added that his client was 'hardworking and studious’' and had to drop out of university as a result.

Sentencing, Judge Nicholls said: "Had you been driving at the correct speed, this collision would not have happened. There are speed limits in place for a reason, so we can avoid collisions such as this.

"I wonder, if a child had run into the road, would you have sought to blame them as you blamed Mr Welsh? It is tragic he was not wearing a seatbelt, not that that killed him - it was the collision at speed that killed him."

Patel, of Stephenson Street, Preston, was jailed for four years and six months. He was banned from driving for seven years and three months.

A change in law, which comes coming into force tomorrow (July 1), means the maximum sentence for causing death by dangerous driving will go up - from 14 years to a life sentence. That maximum sentence applies to offences committed after June 22, 2023.

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IDFIMH

Is that really the best he could have come up with?

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IDFIMH

It always gets me when they put an arbritrary date on these things as if offences comitted prior to that date are any less serious !

I also think that this is an offence where there are degrees of severity. There is a difference between an experienced driver making a bad mistake and a driver racing around at high speed for thrills who then has a bad day when the inevitable happens and of course the drivers way over the limit on drink or drugs who know they are taking big risks.

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