Anger as driver walks free after fatal crash caused by falling bed

A GRIEVING family reacted angrily after a woman walked free from court over a death crash caused by a bed which fell from the roof of her car.

Seamstress Liza Brothers was taking the bed base to a refuse tip, tied with an old washing line to the roof of her Vauxhall Vectra, when it slid off into the road.

Helen Denton, 41, who was driving behind Brothers on the A61 at Tankersley, near Sheffield, swerved to avoid the bed but collided with another vehicle and died instantly.

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Brothers, also 41, was cleared by a Sheffield Crown Court jury after a week-long trial on charges of causing death by dangerous driving and causing death by careless driving.

The prosecution also offered no evidence on a further charge, not put to the jury, of causing a danger to road users. It meant Brothers walked free from court without even a fine or any points on her licence.

Afterwards Miss Denton's mother Pauline Thorpe, 66, said: "If that bed hadn't been on top of the car, Helen would be alive today. Brothers has got away scot free."

Garry Bright, 64, the father of Helen's partner Darren Bright, said: "We don't think there has been any justice whatsoever. Helen has died for nothing. It has been a waste of time."

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Miss Denton's two children Danny, 20, and Kyler, 15 have had to move from Sheffield to Leeds to be with their father. The family said they would not be taking civil action over the case.

Mr Bright said: "It won't bring Helen back. We can't take any more, it won't do any good. There won't be any justice in a second hearing."

The court heard Miss Denton, from Hillsborough, lost control of her Peugeot when she swerved to avoid the bed base as it slid along Westwood New Road. The defendant and her aunt Diane Foxton were taking the base to a tip in High Green from Brothers's home in nearby Grenoside.

Both women described hearing a "whooshing" noise as the bed slid from the car.

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A neighbour had helped them put the bed base onto the roof and Brothers secured it using a piece of old washing line she found in her garden.

It was checked to make sure it wouldn't move and she used knots she had learned on a rock climbing course.

After hearing the noise Brothers carried on driving until it was safe to stop and then got out to check on the bed. When she realised it had gone she panicked.

"Your stomach drops," she told the court. "I thought: 'Oh my goodness, we've got to go and retrieve it on quite a fast road', which worried both of us."

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She retraced her route and came across the accident. "It was just a surreal, horrific moment," she said.

After the incident last December, Brothers handed herself in at Ecclesfield police station.

The court heard evidence that the washing line was crumbling, but a police witness said he would not have stopped Brothers's car with the bed on the roof had he seen it.

Brothers was discharged from the dock by Judge Peter Kelson who said the verdicts provided no comfort to the family.

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He said: "She has been acquitted of any culpability in this matter. The jury have decided it was a completely tragic accident for which nobody was to blame."

Brothers left court without comment yesterday.

Afterwards, South Yorkshire Police issued a warning for all drivers to be vigilant when they are transporting loads. A spokesman said: "If the load is not secured properly tragedies can happen."

Jeni Harvey