A motorist who caused the death of a grandmother when he carried on driving through a give way sign was “absolutely bereft” with guilt.
He seriously injured himself and others in the fatal crash on August 21 last year.
John Batey, 69, admitted causing the death of Marlene Hadley, 73, of North Killingholme, after his Ford Focus collided with another vehicle which was driven by the woman’s son.
Batey of The Cotswolds, Chilton, County Durham, had been driving to a holiday destination with his wife when he carried on driving through a give way sign at Fonaby Top near Caistor.
He appeared at Lincolnshire Magistrates’ Court to admit causing death by careless/inconsiderate driving.
Prosecuting, Simon Rowe, said: “It seems the vehicles approached the junction at the same time.
“The defendant drove past a give way sign at the junction at a steady speed.
“That sign would have been visible to him for about 25 metres – it was there to be seen.
“It is on that basis that this is not a momentary lapse of concentration case. It feels a lot higher on that, given the nature of the collision.
“Unfortunately, he carried on into the path of Mr Hadley’s motor vehicle.
“There were significant injuries to other occupants of the vehicle.
“Mr Batey sustained significant injuries and so did his wife. She was in hospital for ten days.
“This was not momentary. There were aggravated factors there. It is not far short of dangerous driving.”
The court heard that a detailed collision report outlined certain factors which may have led to the crash.
In summary, it stated that although Batey could see the sign, the markings on the road were faded; the sat nav in question did not trigger any information about a junction; there was no question of aggravated speed; and when the car turned left, it would have “masked” the vision of each vehicles’ view of one another.
Lawrence Petterson, in mitigation, said: “No words of mine can express the remorse my client feels.
“He accepts full responsibility for that.
“He is absolutely bereft with guilt and apologises profusely to the family of the deceased.
“It could have been a momentary lapse of concentration with catastrophic consequences. It is far below dangerous driving.
“He is a 69-year-old with no convictions. He has a lengthy driving history of public vehicles with school children. Everything is going in his favour in relation to that.
“Everyone has sustained very serious injuries, including Mr Batey. My client is full of remorse and has an excellent driver record.”
The case was committed to crown court for sentencing.
Batey was granted unconditional bail.